Death Mark
by Kaishakai
Summary: Dimitri is back to normal and him and Rose are strong as ever which kind of leaves Adrian on his own. So Zuri comes into play when she comes with warnings that the strigoi have an academy of their own. One other problem. Zuri also happens to be a strigoi
1. Meet Zuri

**Chapter 1: Meet Zuri**

Some people never think beyond death and for those who do they tend to think one of four things: a version of either heaven or hell, reincarnation, or simple nothingness. For me, I was a typical person who was cynical and sarcastic as hell most of the time and honest and sweet as could be the rest of the time, which came together with the belief of either hell or reincarnation.

Then I died in a manner and realized that, in a way, both were right.

The months following my death were spent in hell which just so happens to be located in good ol' Montana. Then, six weeks ago I managed to escape. Since then I have spent my time running and hiding, trying to evade the ones charged with bringing me back. It took five weeks of traveling, much stealing, and several murders before I was finally able to lose them. And so I was able to set out and do what I meant to do.

Now, two years ago I would not have had to worry as much as I have and I never would have done even half of the things that I have. I was just a twenty-one-year-old human woman who suffered from severe anemia and who owned a dress shop and occasionally volunteered at the orphanage that raised me. Then they came.

The strigoi.

See, there are essentially three types of vampires. The Moroi which are full-bloods and can only result from the mating of two full-bloods; the dhampires which are half-vampires that result from the mating of a full-blood and either a human (which is very rare now from what I've heard) or a dhampir (dhampires cannot have children together); and then there are the strigoi which are made and are always evil. Or so I'm told.

When it comes to being a strigoi, there are very few rules. They are made either when a Moroi willingly kills someone during a feeding, or when a strigoi drains their victims (human, dhampir, or Moroi) and feeds them its tainted blood. The latter is what happened to me. Since my 'awakening', as they call it, I've learned that contrary to popular belief, no vampire is susceptible to holy relics, though a strigoi cannot step on holy ground, and that while Morois and dhampires can die just about as easily as a human, there are only four ways to kill a strigoi: decapitation, fire, a silver stake to the heart and, if exposed enough, the sun can prove to be quite fatal.

Which just goes to prove how nuts I am.

Here it is still a good ten minutes until sunset and I am out riding my bike. My drive was a good thirty minutes long and I was more than thankful I only had another five minutes to go and that I came plenty prepared. At least I hoped so what with wearing a gallon of sunscreen, a wife-beater, long-sleeved turtleneck jersey dress, tights, leather pants tucked into knee-high biker boots, long leather gloves, a black leather duster, skullcap, and a biker helmet. I sure hoped it was enough to protect me until I get to my destination.

St. Vladimir's Academy.

The place where, in addition to taking regular high school courses, Moroi go to learn how to control their given element (fire, earth, water, wind) and dhampir go to learn how to protect a Moroi for when they graduate and are assigned one to guard. And since the place was just so full of people the strigoi found tasty (not me of course, I'm strictly on what you'd call a tofu diet) there are a few security measurements. The Guardians (graduated dhampires) who guard the front gate and keep a silver stake or two on them at all times, and the wards (a barrier formed to keep strigoi out which is formed when all four elements come together in magical form courtesy of the Moroi...or something like that). Being a strigoi and all, this means that I cannot cross the barrier, instead I have to trick the guards into letting me in, which in turn runs the chance of me getting staked.

That or have a human stake a section of the ward using a Guardian's stake (stakes are made using the four elements, the same way the wards are made, hence the two magics cancel each other out). Lucky for me this very thing had already been done earlier today.

Which is why I have gone through as much trouble as I have and put myself through the considerable amount of pain that being in the sun does to me. Hopefully by appearing on campus in broad daylight they will assume that I am human and actually hear me out. It would really suck if this whole trip was wasted by my being killed two minutes into the meeting.

I sighed as the school finally came into view. It looked pretty old to me, more like an overgrown gothic mansion than a school ground. As I got closer, I brought my bike to a stop and got off. Walking into the woods, I made my way off to a point well out of sight of the gate guards. Looking closely I tried to spot the wards I heard so much of, only I saw no sign what-so-ever. I breathed easier as I instead spotted two silver stakes driven into the ground.

Walking forward I passed the two pieces of silver and paused for a moment. There was no noticeable difference from the two sides, but somehow I knew that I was on Vladimir ground. Sighing in relief that the wards were in fact down, I continued on through the woods until I came to the campus. Up close the campus looked like it could pass as a college. I was still trying to take everything in as I crossed a quad of some sorts when a man approached me with a grim look on his face.

"Who are you?" He asked in demand.

Underneath my helmet I rolled my eyes. Men always think that all they have to do is demand something and they will get it. Luckily for him I was not in a mood to make a point of this, so this time I would let it slide and give him what he wanted. "I'm looking for your 'Captain of the Guard' or whatever she's called."

His face did not change. "Why do you need to see Guardian Petrov?"

"Because I have some information in regards to an upcoming strigoi attack," I said wryly. "Just thought it would be nice to inform her of it."

The guy gave me an assessing look as if doubting my words and gauging my character. There was only a moments pause as he assessed both me and my words before seeming to decide what I said was worth hearing more about. Thank God, because the sun was really beginning to get to me. I felt sick to my stomach and I was sweating heavily. Turning, he set out across the quad and showed me to a building where he only stopped long enough for me to park my bike and grab my bag before disappearing inside. I caught up to him halfway across what seemed to be an empty common room, but came to a halt as I spotted a restroom.

"Really not trying to be a bother here," I said, though I knew I was, "But could we possibly stop long enough for me to use the restroom?"

My guide stopped and turned to face me. I still had my helmet on, for good reasons, but he probably assumed I wanted to do some quick primping before facing anyone. Which was true. After a moment he nodded and I eagerly set off for the restroom before he could even point it out to me.

Taking next to no notice of my surroundings I went straight to the sink and mirror and set my bag on the floor beside me to pull out my make-up and extra clothes. I quickly removed my helmet and sighed in relief as my hair tumbled down past my shoulders. I hastily stripped out of my clothes so I could have an impromptu sink bath. Dhampir and Moroi both of heightened senses of smell that, while not as up to par with that of a strigoi, was still very perceptive. Fresh from a bath or after a moderate day strigoi do not smell all that different and after an intense training session the difference was a bit noticeable, however once we cooled down and the sweat dried onto our skin and clothes it was more than a tad noticeable. Especially in close quarters.

I finished washing and pulled on a clean set of clothes, another long-sleeved turtleneck jersey dress, black jeans, my biker boots, and a pair of tip-less gloves, and put my old clothes into a plastic sack that I shoved towards the bottom of my bag. Now, another bad thing about being strigoi is that you grow a wicked set of fangs (I was already born with abnormally sharp canines but this was even worse), your skin stays the pale color of death, and you develop this annoying little red ring around your pupils which, for me, totally clashed with the color of my eyes. Red and blue just do not go together that well. So, to hide it all I have to apply a thick layer of base and foundation that matched my original skin tone, the color of the inside of a walnut, and a pair of dark contacts that, while not my ice-blue, were pretty efficient at hiding the red. Bright red lipstick and a line of dark sapphire blue eye shadow were added to uphold my 'primping' image. A quick run of fingers through my hair and a light misting of my favorite body spray, Degree Sexy Intrigue, and I was done.

Looking at my reflection I could not help but smile. With my dark clothes and hair and my half-exotic looks I could have passed as a thief or a desert princess. I snorted to myself as I thought of a desert thief. Any of the images would work so long as I do not look strigoi.

Satisfied with how I looked, I pulled my coat on and slung my bag over my shoulder, arranged my hair around my face and grabbed my helmet before striding out of the bathroom towards my self-appointed guide.

He was still standing there looking patient and calm as I crossed to him. I shot him a grin but made sure not to show any fang. He looked startled, almost taken aback, for a moment but the look was gone as fast as it came. I wonder what that is about.

"Come on then," He mumbled.

I gave a sarcastic salute to which he grinned at and silently followed him down the hall. He led me to an office and motioned me in before calmly following and standing guard at the door. The office itself was spotless, everything arranged with great proficiency. I smiled and secretly wondered if the woman had OCD. Wanting to test the theory I pulled a book off of a nearby bookshelf and idly flipped through the pages before putting it back on a different shelf. Walking back to the desk I reached out and turned a small stack of papers so that they just barely angled to the right.

Behind me, the office door opened and I hastily straightened and faced the door. My guide, who before was smiling at my antics, now wore a straight face as he turned towards the door to see an older woman come in. She was somewhere in her fifties and, like most female Guardians, her sandy colored hair was kept in a short bob. I shivered on the inside for I know that I would never willingly cut my hair. I assumed this was the captain of the school Guardians.

"Alberta, sorry to disturb you so early," my guard began, "But she says she has information regarding an imminent strigoi attack."

The woman nodded and looked at me. Again, there was a flash of startlement but it was gone in moments. Turning back to the man she simply nodded. "It's fine. Mikhail and Stephen just left to pick up our guests. They should be back in an hour and I've already told them to meet us in the council room. Depending on what she has to say, it may influence the meeting." She turned to face me and nodded in greeting. "I'm Guardian Alberta Petrov, captain of the Guardians here at St. Vladimir. This is Guardian Landen Ashforde." She motioned to my guide as she moved to sit behind her desk.

Landen stayed by the door and I quickly moved so I stood off to the side of them, putting me behind one of the guest chairs. "I only answer to Zuri, but I was born Nymphadori."

There was that annoying flash of startlement again. The two Guardians exchanged looks before Alberta gave me a brisk smile. "Okay then... Uh, Zuri, what information do you have?"

And just like that things were down to business. "Lots actually," I smiled, "As far as date, I know of four attacks that are sanctioned to take place within the next month and they all revolve around whoever your incoming guests are."

"What do you know of them?"

"Next to nothing," I dead panned before smirking. "I was only able to glean the basic details. What I know so far is that the targets are coming here to visit. The strigoi have been planning these attacks for the last almost four months. The first attack will be a simple affair in the hopes that, on the off chance, they might capture one of the easier targets."

Alberta simply nodded as she reached out to straighten her stack of papers. "How many targets?"

I thought fast. "Seven targets. From what I've gathered, their main target is a female and they plan to take her last."

"We only have an hour before they get here," Landen stated. "We need to hear everything you've got in reference to this attack."

I sighed and slowly sat down. "There are four attacks in total and the complexity of them increase with each turn. They plan to attempt to grab between one and three targets each go before simply snatching them all in the final round."

"So they'll be baiting us." Alberta observed.

"Essentially," I smiled. "The first attack will be pretty basic to the point of simplicity. They've had people watching the campus long enough to see that your wards are checked each sunrise and fortified every other day as a rule. What they plan to do is have a set of humans stake the wards about two hours before sunset. The strigoi then plan to send in a group of fifteen around midnight. Once you have dispatched of these, they expect you to drop your guards; to focus on tending to your wounded and taking count. Based on previous encounters they figure you'll be your weakest around two, at which point they will send thirty to attack the younger grounds and, fifteen minutes later, they'll send another thirty in to go for the high school students and guest quarters."

The two Guardians looked at each other and Landen gave me an incredulous look. "That is what we've been seeing from them for the last few years. Yea, bigger numbers, but still the same. And you're calling this a basic attack?"

I could not help but give a dry laugh. "The bulk of what you get are just regular strigoi or a random group who are finally developing mental skills. This group is way evolved; things have changed to say the least." I opened my bag up and began digging around until I came up with a white binder. "In the stupid days a group of six was considered large, but now they have grown wise. Since the last Queen was killed you may have noticed that things have eased a bit." I handed Alberta the binder. "The reason why is that within days of hearing of her death, a group of strigoi decided to ban together and began recruiting others." I watched as the two flipped through page after page of notes that detailed strategic attack plans and evasive maneuvers. "They even forced a great number of people to 'awaken'. Then, nineteen months ago they opened an academy of their own that is dedicated to the teaching of how to not only hunt and kill but the changing of royal Moroi and their Guardians." Alberto looked up, her shock evident. "What you have right there is just a print out of their practice simulations. This will be their first actual attack, hence all of the planning."

"Why not start off easy?" Landed asked as he continued to study the binder.

I sighed as I leaned against the wall. "A few actually wanted to do just that but the end decision was this. They wanted to go for one of the harder marks that would yield a good turnout and would better help them for later attacks. It is a way for them to test their abilities; their readiness. In previous attacks they would go for the easier targets, thus giving the harder targets time to plan counter measures. With this, they plan to grab her, striking fear into the other weaker targets, thus making them easy pickings."

Alberta nodded as if understanding this before going back to the binder. "When exactly is this first attack supposed to take place?"

"Tonight," I stated wryly. Both jerked their heads to look at me. "I would have come sooner but I was being tracked and did not want them to know where I was going."

Landen's eyes slitted in speculation and he slowly straightened to his full height. "How did you attain all of this information?"

And now we were finally down to the crux of my problem. My choices were to either chance lying to them only to be found out later and killed on the spot, or be honest and tell the truth up front and be killed because they do not trust me. I sighed wearily as I moved to stand in front of the window and gazed blindly into the night. I must be crazy. "The truth?" I asked, though I did not give either a chance to answer. "I was one of their students."

Both Guardians were on their feet in an instant and I quickly backed up against the window, my hands raised in a peaceful and placating manner. "Hey, I have shown no aggression nor have I tried attacking either of you." I declared.

This seemed to give them pause and Alberta eyed me. "All the same, why would you betray your classmates?"

I shrugged. "Never wanted to be strigoi to begin with and I just thought that if I did this I could help prevent the same from happening to anyone else."

Landen looked more than a bit skeptical. "Once someone becomes a strigoi they love it and don't ever want to go back, even the same Guardians who would have chosen death change. Nobody stays the way they were, they all change and become a different person. They become cold and evil, no exceptions."

"So I've seen," I snorted. "Except for me. I have no idea why, but when I awakened I was still the same person, excluding the pale skin, red eyes, and even sharper teeth than before. And the strong need to ingest blood instead of having a daily transfusion." I sobered up as I continued. "The best I can figure is the way I was changed and how I was treated."

"Plenty of people have been changed and in numerous different ways. It did not seem to affect them in the least." He replied.

I smiled tightly. "I very much doubt that anyone was treated the way I was."

He looked ready to say more but Alberta stopped him with a curt look. "We can discuss this later. Right now she seems to have viable information that can help us prepare. Stephen and Mikhail will be arriving shortly so I want you to go ahead and take her to the council room. I'll meet them and give advanced warning of our guest. Keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't step out of line."

Landen nodded and grabbed my binder while Alberta continued to sit in her chair, her eyes trained on the bookshelf. I smiled to myself as she continued to study the books. Landen simply shook his head and pushed me out of the office.

"Not nice," he said.

I looked at him innocently. "What wasn't nice?"

It was his turn to snort as he turned and began walking away. Unlike last time where the building was empty, we passed several people walking around and on occasion Landen would send a word or two of greeting before continuing on. I received a number of looks of recognition and quite a few approving nods in addition to a few questioning looks.

By the time we got to the council room I was glad. Being around so many Guardians tended to make a strigoi a bit jumpy. Sighing, I walked up to the head table and sat on it, ignoring Landen's disapproving look. We sat in silence for several minutes and I contemplated what I should tell everyone and tried to think of a good defense for when they began questioning me.


	2. I Meet My Twin

**Chapter 2: I Find My Twin**

Thankfully we did not have long to wait before the door opened and Alberta came in followed by a group of men and women. I seriously began to feel outnumbered. Five of them were Moroi without a doubt. One girl was tall and slender, her pale blond hair and pretty face making her look like an angel while the boy directly beside her looked like a devil with his messy black hair and dire expressions, though his pale blue eyes were definitely pretty. Behind them there was a small girl who, if not for her slender build and air of slight superiority, would have been mistaken for a human teenager. Her skin was a bit weathered and her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail that barely diminished her young looks. The third girl was the youngest of them but she was also the tallest with a cloud of brown curls and a pair of pale green eyes that glowed above a spattering of freckles. Strange, I don't think I've ever seen a Moroi with freckles.

The last Moroi was one who held my attention, however. I had the feeling that if we were to stand toe-to-toe, I would only be a few inches shorter than him, which in my book put him at the perfect height. The rest of him was not too bad either, with a pair of magnificent green eyes and messy brown hair that purposely hung low in his eyes. He was not as lanky as most Moroi men turned out and. All-in-all he would be perfect if not for the strong odor of alcohol and clove cigarettes. Ugh, gross.

Moving on now that my nose had been thoroughly offended, I noticed the other five with them were Guardians. One was pretty non-descriptive and plain with sandy-blond hair and a slim, almost boyish face. Spiky blond hair and an easy smile were all I noticed before moving on. Beside him was a woman with blond hair but she was pretty plain so switched my attention to the man next to her. The next guy was much more interesting. He was about half a foot taller than me with dark brown eyes and shoulder length brown hair. I bet that when he spoke he also had a Russian accent, I could always spot one of my own countrymen. And a good looking one at that. As long as I ignored the look of total shock which, annoyingly, was on all of their faces.

"Damn it," I huffed, "What is with everyone and looking either shocked or startled when they see me? I mean, I know I'm pretty and all but this is ridiculous."

A few of them smiled and I chose that moment to look at the fifth Guardian in their group. I was slightly surprised to see that it was another female. Female Guardians are very rare, so I've heard, and having two in the same detail was kind of a shocker. She had skin the same color as the inside of an almond with some pretty exotic features that I always thought would be attributed to a desert princess; almond shaped dark eyes and her hair, though pulled into a tight topknot, was a dark and distinguishable brown that almost looked black.

"Oh." Was the first thing that came to mind. "I see why now."

She could have been my twin except for a few differences. Where I was tall and lithe like the Moroi, only with more breasts, she was of average height (half a foot shorter than me) with a curvaceous figure, big breasts, slim waist and wide hips that all looked good on her. Then of course there were our eyes, though you could not tell with my contacts in. Her eyes were as deep and dark a brown as mine were a pale and icy blue. It was kind of freaky how alike we looked, almost as if we could have been sisters in another life.

As the silence continued Alberta stepped forward and motioned towards me, "This is Nymphadori-"

"Zuri," I interrupted.

"This is Zuri." She corrected before turning towards the group who introduced themselves in turn. Angel face was the first to step forward. "I'm Lissa. These are my Guardian and best friend, Rose and Eddie." She pointed towards my look-alike and the plain boy. I gave them both a nod as the devil boy spoke. "I'm her boyfriend Christian. These are my Guardians, Serena," the plain girl waived, "And then Dimitri," dark and Russian nodded, "Who also has the ill fortune to be dating Rose."

Rose looked like she was getting ready to make a snarky comment but Landen quickly interceded as he moved to stand by the youngest girl. "This is Jill," he informed me. "Mia assists me in guarding her."

At his words, the little blond girl spoke up and gave me a tight smile. "I'm Mia Rinaldi," she said quickly, "And the spiky oaf is Spiridon, Adrian's Guardian when he can actually manage it."

I smiled at their introductions and again studied them. The smelly one, whom I assumed to be Adrian, came to stand in front of me with an easy smile on his face while his eyes shone with intent study. "Hey little nymph." He slung an arm around my shoulders as he sat next to me. "What brings you in to our little dilemma?" He asked.

Behind him, Rose held a hand over her stomach and a puzzled look on her face. "She's the strigoi."

Shock coursed through the group and Spiridon dropped his smile as he jumped towards me. I barely saw Landen move as he jumped to stand in front of me, as if to field the attack. Out of instinct I started to push myself back but Adrian held up a stopping hand towards his Guardian. He then turned and grabbed my chin to angle my face up towards his. My first reaction was to pull away but he just followed me. He studied my face intently and seemed to be looking beyond me for a moment.

"You sure little dhampir? She looks pretty normal to me," he smiled.

This time I managed to jerk out of his grasp and scooted back so I was on the other side of the table. "It's amazing what a little bit of make-up and a pair of contacts can do." I said.

"Maybe," he agreed cheerfully. "You know, you look an awful a lot like Rose here."

"You're just drunk," I pointed out.

"And you're pretty," he smiled.

I opened my mouth to make another comment but Christian quickly cut me off. "And we're here for a reason," he said with a dark scowl on his face. "Alberta says you came to warn us about a series of attacks."

I took the opportunity to look away from Adrian and put my bag on the table. "Right. The first attack will be later tonight. A couple of humans came in earlier today and staked the wards. it's actually how I got on campus in the first place."

Alberta sat down a few feet down from me. "I filled them in on the basics. What we need to do now is strategize and find out who the main targets are."

"Well, you're kind of looking at them." I said.

Dimitri and Rose both looked at each other. "But there are only five Moroi here and I doubt that they'd really want a dhampir." Landen said.

I snorted as I pulled another binder out of my bag. "Their targets do include two dhampir as it turns out." Flipping through it, I pulled out five pages and laid them out on the table one by one. The first slid across the table. "Queen Vasilisa Dragomir, one of the last two surviving members of the Dragomir line thanks to a car accident. Twenty years old and just recently married Lord Ozera. Main Guardian is Rosemarie Hathaway who also serves as her best friend, secondary Guardian is Eddie Castile. Currently attends Lehigh University and lives at court with her fiancé. Rarely travels away from court except near holidays. Primary Target."

Another paper went down.

"Rosemarie Hathaway. Dhampir Guardian of Queen Vasilisa Dragomir. Daughter of Janine Hathaway and unknown Moroi father. Age twenty. Currently engaged to and living with Dimitri Belikov. Lives at court near her charge and attends a few classes at Lehigh University. Dropped out of St. Vladimir months before graduation and traveled to Siberia. Killed several strigoi before being captured. Spent weeks as a prisoner before escaping and returning to school. Considered very dangerous and not to be taken lightly. Primary target."

A matching file joined the others.

"Dimitri Belikov. Dhampir Guardian of Lord Christian Ozera. Raised in Baia before graduating from the local academy and traveling to the United States. Age twenty-seven, currently engaged to and living with Rosemarie Hathaway at court. Forcibly awakened over two years ago, considered a great strigoi. Responsible for the capture of Rosemarie Hathaway and charged with her return after her escape. Months later, by unknown means, was turned back into a dhampir. Primary target."

I slid a fourth sheet onto the table.

"Lord Christian Ozera. Royal Moroi, due to be crowned King after passing the monarch tests. Only child to parents who willingly chose to awaken but who were killed as they waited for the opportunity to awaken him. Twenty years old, was considered social pariah by most until he started making regular appearances at Court. Recently married Queen Vasilisa Dragomir. Transferred to Lehigh University last year and lives at court with his wife. Primary Guardian is Dimitri Belikov, secondary is Serena. Offensive fire user and considered very dangerous. Primary target."

The fifth sheet flew across the table.

"Adrian Ivashkov. Moroi royal, great nephew of the deceased Queen Tatiana. Age twenty-four, reported to be in love with Rosemarie Hathaway and even financed her trip to Siberia. Dated her for a short time while at Court, only to be dumped for Guardian Belikov. The three are on amiable terms. Transferred to Lehigh University after Rosemarie started attending. Considered a severe womanizer with a penchant for heavy drinking and a taste for clove cigarettes. Secondary target."

The sixth and final sheet went down.

"And lastly, Princess Jillian Mastrano. Half-sister to Queen Vasilisa, the bastard daughter of Eric Dragomir. Age seventeen, lives at court with her sister and attends school under close supervision of her dhampir Guardians Landen Ashforde and Moroi Mia Rinaldi, an offensive water user who voluntarily guards the princess and teaches her offensive water techniques. Primary target."

I motioned to the files that they were all currently studying. "There are also files on every other Moroi and dhampir worth mentioning, but they do not pertain to this situation. Every file they have is labeled either omega, primary, secondary, or KOS. Primary targets are preferred to be awakened; secondary are for intel or because the simple fact they're royal, it's up to their captor to decide what to do with them; and KOS are the targets that are supposed to be killed on site, no exceptions."

Adrian gave me an injured look. "Not complaining or anything, but why is everyone else labeled as primary and I'm just a secondary?"

"Lissa is because she's the Moroi Queen and last full-blood Dragomir; Jill because she's the Queen's sister and one of the last of the Dragomir line; Rose is because of what she did in Russia, lots of the students came from there as it turns out; Dimitri for the simple fact that he used to be one of them, one of their best, and because they want to know how he was changed back; as for Christian, there is the fact the he'll soon be the Moroi King but it's mainly because of his parents and stuff. They think he'd make a good strigoi himself."

Lissa grabbed hold of Christian's hand and he gave her a warm smile. I felt bad for making her worry and I felt even worse for what I was going to say next. "I can also tell you, based on these files, the general order that you'll be snatched."

"How?" Rose demanded. Wow, her first word of the day.

"I studied with them for almost eighteen months so I know how they tend to work. If I'm correct, Matthew Garrison will be leading and he's pretty predictable. Knowing him, he'll want to grab Lissa last in the hopes of terrorizing her. Adrian will also be the first one grabbed, he's seen as the weakest and has the fewest ties-"

"Hey," Adrian objected, "I am not weak. Not only am I related to the last Queen, but I happen to be a close friend of the current Queen. How-"

I ignored him and continued to talk over him. "Next will be Dimitri. They'll snatch him because they know it will affect Rose. They'll change him and use him in the next attack. Christian will be next in the hopes that Rose will be distracted by Lissa's worrying later on. Then they'll grab Jill to further the worry before they take Rose who is to join their ranks and help in the final attack where they'll grab Lissa." Everyone was silent as they absorbed my words.

"That's not all of it, is it?" Landen asked.

I reluctantly shook my head. "Adrian and Christian will just be prisoners until they get their hands on Lissa. Once they have her, they'll make her watch what happens. Christian will be given the choice of either life or death. Choose life, he drains Adrian; death, and they slowly and painfully drain Adrian before changing Christian anyway. They'll have Lissa watch the whole thing and once he has awakened, Christian will willingly change her. She'll then have the choice of changing Jill or killing her."

By now Lissa was hugging Christian, both of them having an arm around Jill. Rose stood beside her best friend with a death grip on Dimitri's hand. Mia stood off the side of them, gazing out of the window while Adrian stayed leaning against the table. "Sure, no sympathy for me, I just get killed either way it goes. Better than being strigoi, but still."

I rolled my eyes at him and smiled at his dry humor. "What we need to do now is figure out a plan for tonight. Eighty strigoi will be attacking soon."

Alberta nodded. "Correct. At this moment we only have twenty-three Guardians who can fight. The school needs to go on alert; all the students will be in their dorms and we'll set up a patrol to start with. All of you will be staying in the Guardian barracks. Work together to keep an eye on Adrian."

Rose glared at the older Guardian. "We can help fight. You've seen Christian in action and Mia is just as good. Me and-"

"No," Alberta said. "You will stay here and protect your Queen. We'll arrange for all of you to return to Court tomorrow."

"I am not just leaving," A pale and shaky Lissa declared. "I may be Queen now, but I am not leaving the school to be attacked."

I shook my head in wonderment at her strength when she was so obviously scared. "If you're not here there won't be an attack. They'll regroup at the School and come up with a new plan of action. How they though you'd stay here for two whole weeks is beyond me. And Guardian Petrov is right in that you should stay hidden. The first place the Strigoi will go for will be the Moroi dorms and the guest housing. If nothing else and they are unable to get Adrian, they will simply go for the next person on their list. They may even just snatch Mia as an added distraction."

Mia paled at my comment but Rose seemed to catch something that the others had not caught onto yet. "And where, exactly, will you be during all of this?" She asked.

"In a nearby town. I can't be seen here by any strigoi who might recognize me."

"Why not?" She snarled. "Afraid they'll-"

"Fear has nothing to do with why I have to leave; I could care less about my fears. I would gladly face them so long as I knew that their plans were spoiled and that they have failed." I seethed. "If they see me, any of them, then everything will change. They'll alter their attack plans and I won't be able to help you then. Hell, you might stand a chance if you study that entire binder of notes there," I pointed to the binder that Landen had in fact just handed to Dimitri, "For about two months. But you don't have that long seeing as to how all of the attacks are scheduled to take place in the next week. And if they see me, I can guarantee the timeline will shorten down to one week."

Everyone was quiet again as they realized what I spoke was true. "Like I said, if I knew I could be of any help I would stay and help you fight. I would even face my fears if it would guarantee you victory."

"Actually, on that note, I have something to ask." Spiridon spoke up. "What do you think will happen to you when they find out that you are here helping us?"

I smiled grimly. "I'll get a little sheet of my own, only it'll be marked as Omega." I slipped my book of names into my bag, leaving the binder of notes and strategies for them, and tried to brighten my smile as I headed for the door. "I'll be back tomorrow about half an hour after sunset."

"Zuri," Adrian called. "What does Omega mean?"

I paused at the doorway and weighed whether or not I should tell them. When I looked over my shoulder however, and saw the honest look of worry on his face, I knew that I was going to. Eventually. "Let's just say that it's a person of high interest." I said before turning and leaving.


	3. I Join St Vladimir's Kind Of

**Chapter 3: I Join St. Vladimir's… Kind Of**

The day passed at a murderously slow pace as I sweated away in my crappy motel room. It was a shame that Strigoi could not sleep because I would have loved to fall into a mindless dream where I could escape from reality. Instead, I lay on my bed and let my mind drift as I thought about my old life. Before I knew it, I was being jerked out of my thoughts by a loud bang as a car backfired out in the parking lot. Jerking up, I turned to the bedside clock and swore as I saw that I had drifted for several hours, the sun having set over an hour ago. My muscles screamed and ached but I ignored them as I hastily dressed. I was trying to rush and get ready before the academy people began worrying. I pulled on an old white muscle shirt that stopped high on my midriff and a red mini skirt which hung low on my hips to reveal a line of small six-pointed stars on each hip. Each star represented death and each point was another mark against what was left of my soul. I smiled wryly now as I pulled on my boots and jacket. Strigoi do not have souls. Sighing, I grabbed my bag and helmet and yanked open the door as I thought about how I have to do laundry soon.

Needless to say, I was not expecting there to be a man standing at the threshold so I reacted on instinct and jumped back, automatically dropping down to a defensive crouch. I took a deep breath and scented the air. There was a subtle hint of sandalwood and a splash of carnations, but both scents were barely discernable since they were being overpowered by the smell of alcohol and burning cloves.

"Good morning, little nymph." Adrian smiled before taking another pull on his cigarette

A heavy cloud of smoke engulfed me where I crouched and I began choking on the thick cloying smell. I growled in irritation and coughed as the smoke gagged me. "Would you mind putting that thing out?" I asked irritably. "It's close to suffocating me."

He gave the cigarette a puzzled look. "Really? How so?"

"Strigoi have heightened senses; sight, touch, smell, things like that. For example, even through that awful smell and the lingering alcohol, I can tell that you use sandalwood soap and that you fed from an A-positive feeder about forty-five minutes ago." I explained.

"Interesting." He dropped the clove cigarette to the ground, rubbing it out with his shoe, before walking in to the room. "Very interesting. You know what else?" He reached out to grasp my chin and slowly brought me up until I stood at my full height in front of him. He moved in close and stared at my face, taking in everything about my appearance, observing me as if looking for some type of clue. I thought for sure that he was going to ask me about my scars or my markings, instead all he did was look down at me and smile warmly. "You have the prettiest eyes I have ever seen."

Okay, so not what I was expecting, but it was still nice to receive a compliment. I knew better than to take anything serious from a womanizer like Adrian, yet I still could not stop the rush of warmth that went through me when he said it. I was able to control my reaction however. I snorted and rolled my eyes at him as I tried backing away. "Sure, so long as you ignore the red bleeding through them."

His smile faded a bit at the edges but he stepped closer causing me to step back. He followed me as I continued moving away until the back of my knees brushed the bed. "Even with the red your eyes are spectacular. You should go without those contacts more often." He whispered to me.

The way he kept staring at me began to make me feel weird but a polite cough interrupted us soon enough. Turning my gaze from Adrian, I saw Spiridon standing in the doorway with his face tactfully clear of everything save for a polite smile. "We have to get going soon, the others are already waiting."

Adrian smiled at his Guardian lazily and stepped away from me. "Right. Well, I guess we better get going." Reaching out, he took my helmet and tossed it to Spiridon. Then, taking my hand, he led me to a car parked beside my bike. "You are going to ride with me so we can get through the gate (insert a snort and a 'yea right' on my behalf and a snicker from Spiridon), and Spiridon will be following behind us on your bike."

Still beyond tired at this point, I did not bother voicing any protests and simply followed him out of my hotel room, bag slung over my shoulder. I sent Spiridon, now dubbed Spike, a nice smile as Adrian led me to the car.

"Don't you scratch my baby, Spike." I winked.

"So long as you don't scratch mine," He laughed back.

"Some scratching would be welcome," Adrian piped up.

I laughed softly as I shook my head. "I am neither that easy nor that desperate."

Spiridon chuckled and climbed on to my bike. I was beginning to see why Mia said he only guarded Adrian when he could manage. Adrian was a total nut job.

We got in the car and I uneasily buckled myself in. The man might not be drunk but he was not sober either, therefore I seriously doubted his driving skills. Once on the way though, he proved himself quite capable and my doubts eased. It was only a twenty minute drive with Adrian and it passed in relative silence until we reached the gate where Adrian had a quiet conversation with the guards who quickly checked the car over before letting us pass through.

I was not sure how I was able to cross over the wards and I did not bother to question it either. In short order, we were crossing the quad and entering a building that I assumed was used for guest housing.

"I take it you convinced Alberta to let you move out of the Guardian building?" I asked dryly. "And to not send you all packing back to the safety of Court?"

"Yes. It was relatively easy too, thanks to Lissa," he smiled as we rode the elevator up. "She did send Jill back along with Serena and Eddie. Took an added bit of persuasion to get those three to go. Ah, here were are. Top floor accommodations with a great view overlooking the forest."

The doors opened to admit us to the top floor and Adrian walked to a door at the end of the hall where he led me in to a sitting room. The same group from the previous night were all there and I gave them each a quick smile.

Dimitri and Christian were the only ones not to return it but I quickly dubbed them as the non-smiling type, except for when they were around their women. I waited until Adrian sat before I crossed over to the window. As I passed him though he swung an arm out and pulled me on to his lap, "You can sit here." He smiled with a wink.

I fought back a grin and pushed his arm away. "I'd rather try my chances with a rabid dog." Standing, I quickly moved out of his reach and leaned against the wall.

"I can act rabid if you want," he flashed his fangs as he smiled at me. "I'll even bite."

"So will I." I bared my teeth.

He just chuckled in reaction. "Then we'll have a good time, won't we?"

"Not likely," I drawled. "You just want a quick lay, and I ain't that type of a girl."

"You injure me, little nymph. There will be nothing 'quick' about it." He sent me a scorching look. "And no one said we had to 'lay', we could always sit. Or even kneel. Or stand."

I imagined his tall form against mine; his body pressing against me, his chest to my back. Or better yet, my legs wrapped around his lithe waist while his hands traveled over my body, pressing me closer, with nothing but his sheer strength and the wall at my back holding me up. A thrill of heated excitement coursed through me and I tried to erase the images from my mind. If I had the blood to spare, I'm positive my body would have flushed a dull red. I opened my mouth to make a scathing retort but Lissa interrupted.

"Flirt and try to seduce Zuri later, Adrian," She reprimanded lightly. "For now we need to hear about the next attack."

Adrian and I exchanged quick looks and I rolled my eyes at his lazy grin. Trying to distract myself, I dove into the new topic. "How did last night go?"

"We lost fourteen guardians and I've already called for more to come and aid us. It will still be a few days more before they can all be here." Alberta said.

I nodded. "How many will you have once they are all here?"

"Counting the teachers, those Guardians already here, and the ones coming, we'll have sixty-three. It's all we can get with the holiday." Alberta shrugged in apology. "No one wants to leave their Moroi unguarded during a prime hunting season. We might have gotten more if the Queen had allowed me to say who the targets are."

Lissa ignored the pointed look the Guardian Captain gave her. I bit back a smile at the young Queen's will and nodded at Alberta in understanding. From Easter on to the end of summer holidays were indeed a prime hunting time. "That's still good. How many strigoi were able to escape?"

It was Landen's turn to answer as he came to stand by Alberta. "When we counted, we were seventeen short."

"Enough to cause them a problem, but not enough for them to change their plans. Which means that the next attack will take place in three days."

Rose looked at Lissa but her question was aimed at me. "What's their plan?"

I sighed aloud as I pulled out the strategy notebook and rifled through it before taking out a small packet and setting it on the coffee table. "The second attack is set to take place an hour after sunset. They'll have humans come in right after sunset and stake the wards in several places. It is set up to come in three different waves; the first will go straight for the younger students in the hopes of catching your attention and distracting you. Thirty minutes later the second wave will hit the older students' area. The final wave, and the largest, will come in ten minutes later. They'll all come from different directions with no real goal in mind other than to drag attention from the guest quarters so that they can go for their intended targets; any of the male targets will do for this one."

"It is a bit more advanced compared to last night's attack, but not very different when you really look," Eddie commented.

Dimitri and Rose were looking through the packet and Dimitri clued them in on the missing element. "That would probably be because Zuri has not told us all of the details yet. Like the fact that the strigoi in the third wave will be handling guns."

"What?" Landen jumped to his feet and stared in disbelief. "Since when do they use guns?"

"Since the School taught them that the guns could actually come in handy." I told him. "Believe it or not, the strigoi are getting smarter. They've had years to study all of you, hell most of them used to be in your positions and they've taken all of their knowledge, pooled it together, and taught it to the next generation. And I'm sorry to say this, but they've been teaching the other students very well. Before they always relied on their brute strength and their superior speeds, but not anymore."

"Damn it," Rose muttered. "How many will be involved in the attack?"

"Total?" I asked. "A little over a hundred. Most likely the seventeen who escaped last night will join them too, so I'd say about a hundred and twenty or so."

"Where are they getting so many?" Lissa gasped, her voice shaking lightly.

"They're having babies who grow overnight." I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. "Did I not mention this part yesterday?" I asked no one in particular. "They recruited what they could and made the rest, and are still doing so. The main attackers are a year at the youngest and they've all been attending the School. Those who are just here to provide a distraction are all under a year and have either only attended the most basic of classes, have never been to a class and are newly turned, or are ones that they just picked off the street."

"Oh my God," Mia whispered. She looked worried as she turned towards Landen and grabbed his hand. Looked like someone else was affected by that stupid little pest called the 'love bug'. "What are we going to do?" She whispered.

Rose smiled and snatched my strategy book up. "As much as I hate to say it, we need to study this book here and see if we can find some insight on how they operate."

Beside her, Dimitri nodded and looked over her shoulder at the book. "If we can gain some insight on how they operate, we will be able to come up with a few ideas to set up some better defenses and plan an adequate counter-attack."

Together, we all began studying over the different strategies and the initial tactical planning that were covered by the binder. It was only a few hours later when Adrian clapped his hands together loudly and stood up from his chair. "Well, you all enjoy yourselves with the reading and planning. I'm going to turn in and all that good stuff." He grinned cheerily.

Snorting, I reached out and grabbed the back of his jacket and pulled him back into his chair. I pulled out the book on planning attacks and tossed it at him. "You can help too- if the Queen and the soon-to-be King have to study, so do you. It'll make this go by that much faster. I'd like to get back to my room before the sun starts to rise."

"That actually won't be necessary," Alberta said as she went to stand. "I've already talked to the council and it has been agreed that you should stay here at St. Vladimir's while these attacks are going on. There is no use in you being out there on your own; it just places you in that much more danger and makes you an easier target."

Stunned, I turned and stared at Alberta. For them to let me on the grounds was one thing, but for them to let me actually _stay_ here was totally different. I thought about turning them down on their offer, but I knew that to do so would just make me look suspicious and ungrateful. Not to mention it would be rude. None of which I wanted. Sighing internally and calling myself every type of stupid, I simply nodded at Alberta. "Where will I be staying?"

Alberta shrugged her shoulders. "I was not able to get you any private quarters; the council considered it more prudent if you were kept under watch." I smiled wryly as the catch was mentioned. They wanted me to stay so that they could keep an eye on me. "This means that you will have to stay with one of the Guardians at all times." She continued.

I chuckled aloud and spoke before I even thought of it. "Looks like Spike just inherited a new shadow then."

Adrian, Mia, and Spiridon all smiled and I quickly rethought my words. "I don't think I'd be able to tolerate anyone else," I continued. "Rose and Dimitri are together and I don't want to shadow them, that would be too much for my tastes. I'd like to keep what innocence I still have," A few of the Guardians all chuckled at this. "Landen is practically glued to Mia, so there's another no-go, and I don't really know anyone else here. That only really leaves Spiridon because there is no way I'm going to follow a teacher around, that would be beyond boring. Plus, Spike gets my humor, meaning he won't mistake a joke as a threat as no doubt all of you would."

Adrian smiled wider as he ducked down behind his book. "I think the lady doth protest too much."

Rolling my eyes I stood and headed towards the back where the hall was.

"Where are you going?" He called after me.

I glanced over my shoulder and grimaced. "If I'm going to sit here and go back over those stupid notes again, I'd first like to be clean. I didn't get to shower before coming here, and I still smell like those stupid cigarettes of yours, so I'm stealing your shower for a few."

'That's actually a good idea." I could hear the smile in his voice and I quickly tried to nix my own. "No way, I'm going to make sure the door is locked. Plus, you have a book to study. Without the aid of alcohol or cigarettes. They both stink."

Adrian was crazy in his own right, but at the same time his personality was reminiscent of my own before my capture. Only I never touched alcohol or cigarettes, they were both disgusting as hell the one time I tried them. Growing up, I had a slight sun allergy so I could not attend school like other kids, instead I was home schooled and made to stay inside during the daytime. All the other kids thought I was a freak so anytime they did or tried something, I would too in the hopes that it would make me seem more normal. By time I was fifteen, I gave up on that idea.

A perpetual night dweller who needed blood transfusions and who had a heightened sense of smell and hearing was not normal by anyone's standards. The only people who did not find it unsettling were the younger kids and the women who ran the orphanage. It is part of why I always went back to volunteer everyday after I left it.

Shaking my head at my wandering thoughts, I went in to the bathroom and turned on the shower. I quickly stripped down and climbed into the warm heat, ensuring that the door was in fact locked before I started to wash. I hated that I was essential under watch and I resented the fact that I had escaped one prison only to swap it for another. I sincerely hoped this one was a lot better though.


	4. Pointless Moments

**Chapter 4: Pointless Moments**

At some point I must have passed out because the next thing I know I am laying in the bathroom floor, glass surrounding me, and a loud banging noise was echoing through the room. I could dimly hear the sound of several voices calling to me but it all sounded muted. I tried shaking my head to get it in order and quickly pushed myself up, wincing as glass dug into my knees and palms.

I managed to pull myself to my feet and had just gotten a towel wrapped around myself when Dimitri came crashing through the door, Rose and Spiridon right behind him. I jumped as they all charged into the bathroom.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded.

"We heard the glass breaking and you didn't answer when we called you." Rose answered.

I looked at them questioningly before turning to look at the glass covering the floor. Glancing at the shower, I noticed that the water was spraying out over the floor through where there used to be a glass door. "I was wondering were all of the glass came from," I murmured.

Spiridon gave my a questioning look as he moved closer to stare at my face. Usually I might have bulked at the close observation but at that moment I felt dizzy. Leaning back against the sink counter, I pressed a hand to my head and tried to stop the queasy feeling.

"When was the last time you fed?" He asked my gently.

I gave him a blank look. "Strigoi don't eat, they drink blood."

He looked worried as he stepped closer and forced my head up. "Fine, when was the last time you drank anything?"

I tried to think back to the last time I had blood. My mind was starting to spin but I tried to fight through it and rationalize everything. "Two days ago I drained a strigoi," I recollected. "I haven't had any since then."

I looked around at Spiridon, my brow wrinkled in concentration. "But I was out in the sun yesterday for about half an hour. It must have drained me more than I thought."

Dimitri gave me a look which I interpreted to be of disbelief. "A strigoi usually has to feed every night, sometimes more and they can't survive off of each other."

I shook my head and sighed, "Not in my case. Apparently I'm special."

Spiridon moved closer to me and cupped my face, "You were fine when you came in here earlier, but the steam must have made you pass out. You fell through a glass door and have several cuts which means you'll need to go see the nurse. You also need to feed."

I wrinkled my nose. "I don't want to feed and I am definitely not going to see a nurse."

"Why not?" Adrian asked from the bathroom doorway.

"Because I don't like anything to do with doctors or nurses." I stated baldly. "They creep me out."

Adrian laughed as he walked over and wrapped an arm around my waist. "I meant why don't you want to feed?"

As he spoke, Adrian started to lead me out of the bathroom and I silently let him as I grasped my towel tighter around myself. "Because I don't want to. I don't like feeding."

He guided me back into the sitting room and had me sit on the sofa. Everyone was giving me worried frowns as I sat. A few were looking at me questioningly. I sighed as I bent my head and ran my fingers through my wet hair. "I hate feeding. It always makes me feel dirty afterwards. The only time I don't feel that way is when I drain a strigoi during a fight or something."

"Why would you feel dirty from feeding?" Mia asked. "It's something we all have to do to keep surviving."

"I just don't. Every time I feed it is usually in the heat of battle. Then, it hurts for someone to be bitten, otherwise the bite feels good and both the biter and the bitee end up wanting more."

"So…" Rose frowned for a moment before she smiled softly. "What you're saying that is when you bite someone, you either want to kill each other or fuck?"

I rolled my eyes up at her. "To put it simply, yes. I don't want to fuck anyone so I stick with strigoi who I don't mind killing."

"But you can feed without killing," Christian concluded and I nodded in response, vaguely realizing that his voice is very nice.

"Can other strigoi do this as well?" Alberta asked and I shook my head.

"What are you going to do then if you won't feed?" Spiridon asked.

I shrugged my shoulders before looking at the window. "Wait until the next strigoi attack or go hunt one."

Everyone looked skeptical a moment before Rose sat down at the other end of the couch. "Alright, so we'll figure that one out, if nothing else a few Guardians can take you into the nearest town and help you gather a few strigoi."

Alberta looked uneasy by this idea but she said nothing. She probably realized that it was either that or risk losing me and all my useful information. I snorted at the thought as I realized I was actually being used for my mind for once.

The room was quiet for a few moments as if nobody knew what to say and I was getting ready to get up and get dressed when Mia decided to break the silence.

"So what was the School like?" She asked.

I looked over at her for a moment before grinning. "It was really like any other school, I guess. The students were all different ages, but otherwise things were the same. Everyone had their own little cliques, there was the popular group and the unpopular, and those that were total misfits. People dated each other and hung out in the commons after classes, sometimes went into town during their free hours. And there was always some type of bet going on and pranks being played."

Rose snorted. "Sounds like high school all over again."

"It kind of was. Strigoi don't usually hang out in big numbers, so having us all attend school together kind of put everyone in the high school mentality. All of them are mean and I guess you'd say dark, so it's more like hanging out at a correctional home." I told her.

"So did you ever date anyone?" Lissa asked.

"No, never really was into the dating scene." I smiled wryly. "I was kind of one of the misfits. Everyone knew me, but I was never really friends with anyone."

"Sounds a bit like Christian," Rose grinned.

Christian shot her a doleful look and I chuckled. "From what I've gathered though his file, people knew him for his parents and avoided him because they feared he would follow their path, and he chose to let them think what they wanted. I was known throughout the school and people only ever came around when they wanted something. After they got whatever they were after, they wouldn't bother me again until they wanted something else."

"Now you sound more like Rose," Mia giggled.

Rose shot the girl a sassy grin. "The same could be said of you. I may have built the reputation up, but you're the one who actually lived up to it."

Mia threw one of my binders at Rose who easily ducked underneath it. A few of the Guardians chuckled and I could not help grinning.

Mia giggled after a moment before turning to look at me again. "I'm serious, all you have to do is follow her around for a few hours and you'll see. Everyone knows about her, whether from her old reputation where she was a total slut, or the new one where she's a total badass Guardian."

I wrinkled my nose at her. "I don't think so. If I try following her around, some stupid person might try to put a silver stake in my heart or I'd end up having my eyes burned out by unneeded images."

Lissa rolled her eyes at me playfully. "You only have to worry about that when Dimitri and her are together and me and Christian aren't around."

Several people snickered and Dimitri had a light dusting of rouge going across his cheeks. Rose simply gave her Moroi a crooked grin. "She only has to worry about it if she enters without knocking." She paused for a moment as if to consider a thought. "Nope, even then."

I laughed at her humor before turning to look at Lissa with a droll smile. "Somehow I get the feeling that she's actually more innocent then you in certain aspects. No one in this room is a virgin and if they are then they need to go have their head checked or something."

"Oh," Mia leaned forward with a questioning look. "Does that mean you're not a virgin?"

A gave her a blank look and she grinned. "Were you deflowered before you became a strigoi, or did you lose it after?"

What may have been just an innocent question to the young girl was nowhere near being such. While I should have expected the question, it still came as a surprise and I felt it like a punch to the gut. I wheezed in a breath and tried to control my reaction.

Everyone was looking at me expectantly and I tried to fight down the temptation to just turn tail and run. It would not do much good to run anyway since I had taken off my boots and left them in the bathroom. Not to mention I am still wearing nothing but a towel. I swallowed thickly and decided to answer the question. Might as well get this out of the way despite that it may lead to more serious questions.

I took a calming breath and moved so I was sitting on one of the sofa arms. "I was a virgin until after my capture."

"So you lost it after being turned." Rose concluded.

I shook my head. "No, I lost it as a human."

"But…" Alberta's brow wrinkled in confusion until a thought struck her. "Oh."

Landen looked back at her before glancing at me again. "What happened?"

I licked my lips nervously and looked down at my linked hands before trying to explain it as delicately as possible without flat out saying it. "I was captured in Nazar, Russia in May two years ago. I was not awakened until the following December."

"Oh," he finally said. "So, you were…"

He let the sentence hang unfinished, though by now everyone had figured out the same thing he had and a few gave me pitying looks. I sighed, "Yea."

I ran my fingers through me hair and pushed it all back. I took a deep breath before launching to my feet. I knew they were all curious and wanted to hear the story of what had happened, and I could understand that. Very few people, if any, were held prisoner and I doubted any of them had lasted almost seven months. But I was not in the mood to think on it. "It does not matter much now, it is in the past. The main thing to do now is for you to study the binders in my bag and try to get an understanding of how the attacks will go."

Rose grasped my shoulder now and I placed a hand over it. After a moment, I took a deep breath before moving away from her. "All of you need to go ahead and start studying. I am going to go to bed."

No one said anything and I knew they were all still thinking about what I had said. I was almost across the sitting room before Adrian caught on that I was leaving. "Wait, how come you get to leave?"

I smiled to myself before calling over my shoulder. "Because I've already learned everything in all of those books, plus it's about twenty minutes until sunrise and I really doubt my body can stand anymore exposure."

"So where are you going?" He called after me.

"I'm stealing your bed," I laughed. "You can sleep on the couch."

"You sure you don't just want to share? I'm positive-" His voice was caught off and there was a loud thump as if someone had fallen.

"Thanks, Spike." I smiled as I entered Adrian's room. I had no doubt in my mind that Spiridon had just pushed his charge into the floor in a quick move meant to silence him. I paused long enough to shut the door and make sure it was locked, pushing a chair under the handle as I remembered how easily the bathroom door had been opened earlier. After a moment of pause though I cursed myself stupid as I realized all of my clothes were both dirty and in my bag which happened to still be in the sitting room. "Damn," I mumbled.

With a sigh, I shrugged it off before crossing to the closet and riffled through it. I quickly pulled out a large t-shirt and slipped it over my head before moving to climb into the big bed which almost swallowed me the second I was on it. Once more I sighed, my body instantly relaxing as I sank into the comfortable bed, silently telling myself it was simply the bed and not the fact that I was surrounded by the smell of sandalwood and carnations as my mind began to drift.


	5. I Have A Soul?

**A/N: **Okay so I am so sorry for how long it's been but to be honest, I hit a road block. Thankfully, I'm finally over it! A few thigns were changed in earlier chapters, not a whole lot. And now here is Chapter 5 without further delay. If you like, review, if not then just stop reading- simple as that.

* * *

**Chapter 5: I Have A Soul?**

My wakening three nights later was much more pleasant, if you can call it a wakening. I never sleep, instead I just lay in bed and let my mind wonder while I recuperate. Most Strigoi can heal instantly but I'm a bit slower. Each night we would go over the binders and try to come up with a plan, but that usually led to everyone training and Rose insisted on me joining them. I only fought at fifty percent and I always ended up getting my ass handed to me. Needless to say, I always went to bed sore and had plenty of stiff muscles that needed relaxing.

My first morning here, I was woken by Rose barging in with a Strigoi in tow. He was not one I had ever met so I had no problems with feeding from him, though Rose and Dimitri both insisted on watching. It was awkward to have an audience and I was glad once it was done with and the strigoi was dispatched by a quick stake to the heart. The next night I was woken by the Guardians debating on what we should do for the next attack. Tonight though, Spiridon got me up by knocking on my door.

"The others will be here in half an hour," He called through the door which he had not bothered trying to open. "Your clothes are sitting outside the door. They've been cleaned."

Hearing that was like hearing that I could eat chocolate again. I jumped to my feet and raced to the door, swinging it open as I stared down at my bag. It looked sadly deflated without all of the binders that usually filled it.

"Who cleaned them?" I asked as I picked the bag up and carried it to the bed.

I left the door open and Spiridon leaned against the frame as he continued to smile. "Adrian sent to have one of the Guardians clean them."

"He had a Guardian clean my things?" I frowned. "Is that like a punishment? You misbehaved so now you get to do laundry?"

"Sort of," he shrugged. "The kid deserved it. He's lucky Adrian doesn't make him see things or that he didn't ask Belikov to run him through the ropes."

"See things?" I smiled. For some reason all I could think about was someone who thought they saw a lion chasing them when there was in fact only an itty-bitty fly. "That would be a cool trick. Growing up, I could make an object or two move but that isn't nothing kick ass."

I dug out a pair of jeans and happily pulled them on under my borrowed shirt which I decided was now mine. The soft black material felt heavenly against my skin and it was not like any type of cotton blend material I had felt before. I kept my back to Spiridon as I pulled the shirt off and hurried to slip on a black tank top. Covered, I sat on the bed and dug around in my bag again. After a few moments, my search came up empty and I glared up at the Guardian.

"Where are my knifes?" I growled.

"They were confiscated," He shrugged easily as if it should have been obvious.

"Sure, you trust me enough to stay on campus but you do not trust me enough to carry any weapon that could be used to mar anyone's precious skin." I snorted and reached back into my bag to pull out a belt.

I opened the buckle and hit a switch, giving the Guardian a smug smile as a small razorblade was spit out. Spiridon chuckled at me and stayed in the doorway watching me cut off the collar of the shirt. Once done, I tossed him the blade and pulled the shirt on, letting one side droop to bare one of my shoulders. I exchanged the belt for a white-gold braided chain that I wrapped around my waist to form a belt for the oversized shirt. I could always steel another shirt when I went to bed tonight.

Dressed for the day, I popped up to my feet and danced forward. "So, where is the drunken wonder?"

"He's still sleeping." He shrugged, not offended by my words in the least.

"Really?" I frowned. He was usually awake by the time I got up. "Shouldn't he be up since the others are on their way ?"

Another shrug was his response and I rolled my eyes as I went into the living room just as Lissa, Christian, Rose, Dimitri, and Mia came in. Seeing them, I gave a polite waive before I glanced at the couches. It took no time at all to find Adrian who was sprawled out over the second sofa. He laid face up with one arm slung over the couch arm, his face tucked into the crook of his shoulder, while his other arm and one of his legs hung off the side of the couch to touch the carpet.

Seeing this, I could not help but smile and shake my head.

"How much did he drink after we left?" Lissa frowned.

"None," Spiridon informed her as he plopped into one of three chairs.

"Really? Adrian not drinking?" Rose asked skeptically. "Last time I remember that happening was when it was part of our dating contract."

"Dating contract?"

There was a light blush on Rose's face as she moved to sit on the other sofa by Lissa and Christian. "Adrian wrote up a contract when we first began dating. Part of it was that he would not give in to drinking, smoking, or any of his other vices."

It was actually kind of sad that it took a contract for him to stop drinking or smoking. Sure, he gave it up for a chance to be with Rose, but it was still bad when you had to have a written contract stating what you would and would not to do while dating someone. You should want to give something up just because you want to, not because you have to.

I did not say any of this though as Dimitri moved to stand on the end of the couch opposite Rose, putting him at Christian's shoulder. Mia took a seat on the loveseat, leaving the only places to sit being beside her, which I would leave for Landen, and two other chairs which I would leave for Alberta when she joined us with the other Guardians and Adrian after he woke up.

Speaking of waking…

"So, who's going to wake up the sober drunk?" I asked, standing in the middle of the sitting room.

"I woke him last time," Rose declined.

"And I got him the time before that," Christian smiled.

I almost fell over at the sound of his voice, never mind the smile which made me smile in return. I think he said all of six words the night before. And that smile had an evil little twist which made me wonder what he had done to wake the older man.

"Your turn Dimitri," Mia said, leaning sideways in her seat.

"Nope," Rose shook her head, stepping in for her man. "I made him get Christian and Lissa this morning and he almost got hit by a fireball."

"Spiridon?" Lissa sighed.

"Already tried." The blond man said with a shake of his head.

I rolled my eyes at them and crossed my arms. "What's so bad about waking him up? What's he going to do, throw a pillow at you?"

"No, he just takes forever to wake up," Mia said. "It usually takes all of us in the end."

I snorted at her words and walked over to peer down at him. He was draped by a red blanket that he had pushed down to show that he slept in nothing but a pair of black silk boxers. Of course the man would have silk underwear, what Moroi didn't? Looking at him now though, I noticed something else.

I frowned. "He's wet."

"Why is he wet?" Dimitri asked, moving to get a better look at the Royal Moroi.

Spiridon gave a shameless smile and sank deeper into his chair. "I poured a bucket of water on him before I woke up our resident Soulless One."

I rolled my eyes at him. No doubt the name was his revenge for calling his charge a drunk. Both names were true though so I did not discredit it. Instead, I shrugged and plopped down on Adrian's stomach.

The Moroi let out a groan and wheezed. He tried to jerk up but I stayed in place as he fell back gasping for breath. I waited a few moments and gave him a chance to catch his breath before I looked down.

"I'm sorry, am I squishing you?" I asked politely, trying to make my face look contrite.

Off to the side, I heard several laughs and I joined them as Adrian glared up at me.

"You could have just shaken me awake like everyone else." He wheezed.

"Eh, where's the fun in that?" I asked. "And we did try to wake you earlier. You already got doused with water and the next move was either a fireball or a dropkick. Besides, you have been offering to let me sit on you- I thought the offer still stood."

Shrugging, I stood up and moved away while everyone else continued to laugh.

"Nymph, you're welcome to sit on my lap anytime, but I don't think my stomach is a very good seat," Adrian said smoothly as he sat up.

He ran a hand through his hair and sighed as he glanced towards a cabinet.

"Try it and I'll dump every bottle within fifty miles," I threatened just as Landen entered.

"Come on, what's Adrian without his booze?" The man joked, claiming the seat by Mia who instantly sat up straighter.

"He's a sober Moroi who will better be able to defend himself in the coming days," I stated flatly, sitting on the end opposite said man. "Once the final attack has taken place he's welcome to smoke and drink all he likes."

"What?" The Moroi groaned and fell sideways. His head landed in my lap and he pulled his cover up over his head.

"It's only one week," my eye twitched. "I'm sure you went longer when you and Rose were dating."

"No, every so often I would sneak away," he confessed, "I'd just shower before going to see her again."

"Oh, that is rude," I grabbed the pillow beside me and thumped him over the head.

"Yea, what about our contract?" Rose exclaimed indignantly. The smile on her face said she could actually care less and was just teasing.

Adrian shrugged and turned his head to glance up at me. As he did, he squinted at the shirt I was wearing. "Isn't that mine?"

"It was," I smiled. "I confiscated it."

"Your welcome," He said regally, as if the shirt had actually been a gift of his choosing.

I jerked the cover back over his head and gave Rose a droll look. "How did you put up with him?"

"In small doses," Lissa smiled, eliciting more laughter and an indignant yelp from Adrian.

It was good to have a light moment when they were getting ready to face such darkness. The sun had set half an hour ago which meant we only had thirty or so minutes before the attack began. As if on cue, someone knocked on the door and everyone sobered up. Spiridon got up and opened the door, admitting Alberta, Stephen, Stan Alto, Mikhail Tanner, and Tamara, a woman who had arrived the day before to help them at Dimitri's request. Once the SWAT member learned that the Queen was involved, she and her teammates were more than ready to help. Several other Guardians had volunteered to help guard the school and already our numbers were at fifty-two, the final eleven due to arrive in two more days. I was glad that so many people were coming in. A number of them were even Moroi men and women who had taken up offensive training like Mia and Christian.

Alberta came in and claimed her chair without giving me a second look. Mikhail gave me a wide grin as he glanced down at Adrian while Stephen ignored me and Stan (the idiot) glared, refusing to step more than four feet into the sitting room. Tamara gave me a small smile and sat at the other end of the couch since Adrian's feet were hanging into the floor. No sooner than she sat down, she sprang back up with a glare aimed at the couch.

"Why is the couch wet?" She asked.

I snorted and pointed down at Adrian. "He had a wet dream," I offered lamely.

"If I had a wet dream, you'd be the first to know," The Moroi replied cheerfully, sitting back up.

The blanket pooled around his waist and I rolled my eyes at his lack of modesty. Glancing around the room I tried to think what the Guardians' reactions would be if I shoved the man into the floor. Seeing the stake that Stan fingered, I shrugged.

"Time to get up," I said and immediately pushed Adrian into the floor.

Unfortunately, he seemed to have guessed my plans. As he went down, he wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me along with him. We went sprawling into the floor and I tried to roll away but my legs tangled with his in the blanket and I cursed as the red material pulled tight and entrapped me. I said some very naughty words in Russian, prompting Dimitri to give a deep rumble of laughter and bringing out a moan from Rose.

"You are so teaching me Russian once we're married, comrade," She said, her words aimed at her fiancé. "No more avoiding it."

Adrian laughed at me as I tried to pull my legs free and push him away at the same time. His laughter sounded in my ear with a puff of hot breath ghosting across my neck. Once more, if it weren't for my low blood pressure, I'm sure I would have blushed a deep red. As it was, I fought harder to escape.

"Settle down, little nymph," He laughed.

"Will you just get off me?" I snapped. "You're lucky I don't bite your worthless hide."

Somewhere I heard someone shift forward but the movement was stopped as someone intercepted him. No doubt Spiridon or Dimitri had to stop Stan. Tamara, Mikhail, and the others were too busy laughing to care.

"I told you we could have some fun and that biting could be included," Adrian smiled, winking down at me as I finally stopped fighting to get loose.

"Whatever, just get off me already." I growled.

"Actually, I think it would be a good idea if you did bite me." Strangely enough, he actually meant what he said.

His face was straight and he stared down at me with a serious look. The laughter died from around us and I jerked back. "No, I'm not biting anyone."

"Last time you fed was two days ago when Rose caught that Strigoi," He reminded me. "You've got be weak by now and that's not good if we're fixing to face an attack."

"I'm not biting you," I shook my head. "You haven't eaten yet and need your own strength. I'm not going to bite anyone and weakening them either."

"I can feed afterwards." Adrian said, giving a decisive nod as he jumped to his feet. Miraculously the cover gave him no problems at all. I glared down at the cursed red fabric. "Send for a feeder, I'm going to feed Zuri."

"No you're not," I denied, getting to my own feet.

"Spiridon, will you call Doreen?" He called out as he bent down and grabbed my legs, tossing me over his shoulder.

I gave an indignant cry and cursed. If I had been at full strength, he never would have been able to grab me and I certainly would have been able to escape. As it is, I barely had the energy to keep cursing.

"Are you seriously going to let her feed off him?" Stan yelled out.

"Yea," Lissa said, a frown evident, "Do you think that is a good idea?"

"She hasn't tried to kill him yet," Mia said caustically. "If he hasn't made her mad by this point, I don't think he ever can."

"Well, he is doing a good job of it now," I growled.

"Spiridon?" Alberta's calm voice spoke over mine. Just his name alone was enough to convey all of her questions.

"I've been assigned to him for the last six months and this is the only time I've seen him smiling, sober or not." The Guardian responded even as he hung up his phone. "The feeder is on her way now."

It was Landen's turn to comment now, "And these last few days are the only times he's seen Rose and Dimitri without making a snarky comment. Besides, Zuri doesn't act like any Strigoi I've ever met. It's almost like she still has her soul."

"She does," Adrian tossed in cheerfully.

That certainly got my attention. And everyone else's too. "Strigoi don't have souls- that's how they're the undead."

"Yea, I don't have a soul," I scoffed.

"Sure she does. See for yourself," Adrian motioned for Lissa to look at me. "Even drunk I was able see it."

I felt the young Queen's eyes staring at my back, felt as she seemed to stare down inside of me. "Oh God, she does," she gasped, "It's not whole, but she still has a soul."

"Sure I do," I could not help but roll my eyes, "It's the color of mud and probably tastes as bad."

"It's actually more along the lines of gray with swirling lines of red and a smattering of empty black holes where pieces are missing." There was a smile in his voice as he turned towards the hall. "Not sure about how it tastes though, but we can find out while you feed."

I thumped my forehead against his back and growled lowly. "I am not feeding from you!"

"Yes you are," He said in a sing-song voice. He was way too chipper when sober. "We'll be back in a few moments," He called over his shoulder.

"If you're not back in three minutes we're coming in," Stan called out. "I can't believe we're letting a Strigoi feed from a Moroi, " He grumbled lowly, "I thought we were supposed to protect the Moroi from just such things."

"You should be," I yelled out, "Put me down, Adrian."

"Not yet," The Moroi spoke, tightening his hold on me. "Now be quiet and wait until we're in the room."


	6. Unwanted Complications

**A/N: **Okay, so I am so happy to say that I finally got my flashdrive back from my idiot brother, it just took freaking forever, especially since we live in two different states. I had to steal his Modern Warfare 3 game n purposely let people rape him for two whole months, but, alas, I finally have it! I am still in the process of reviewing my other ch since he has a penchant for going through and adding very retarded phrases at random points, but I have proofed this one and, after removing fourteen sayings like 'Greg is the best bro ever,' and 'I like cheesewhiz on my pudding', and, my favorite, 'oh gawd, they're kissing, so gross!', it is back to its awesome state of cheesiness. Enjoy.

* * *

**Chapter 6: Unwanted Complications**

Once we were in his room, Adrian quickly shut the door before putting me down. The doors closed with an ominous 'thud' followed by an even more malevolent 'click' as he engaged the lock. He carefully lowered me down, my body sliding along his as he set me to my feet. I tried to ignore the heat that sprung up across my skin everywhere our bodies came in contact. I refocused my energy on forcing a glare at him as I stepped back.

"I'm not feeding from you, Adrian," I stated flatly. "I will be fine until the attack. Once it's started, I can grab one of the Strigoi and feed then."

"And what until then?" He asked quietly, advancing a step. "What are you going to do if you can't subdue the Strigoi and he attacks you? Or what if a group of them jump on you before you get a chance to recharge?"

"No one will overpower me and if a group sets on me, I'll fight them back until I get the upper hand and can feed. It's the same as any other fight, we battle and I hope that I'm the better fighter." I said bravely, knowing that if it ever actually came down to a fight tonight that I would sorely lose.

I knew that and he knew that. The jerk that he is, he stepped towards me, driving me back a step again and again until he had me hedged up against the wall. He put a hand on the wall near my temple and leaned in closely.

"And if you're not the better? Without you we have no idea how these Strigoi are thinking so we have no way to protect our Queen. Lissa may like to act like a normal Moroi when we're here at the Academy, but she is still our Queen and it's our duty to protect her. Plus, she's not too bad a friend on some days." Adrian looked down at me and sighed at the stubborn look that must have been on my face.

He pressed closer to me and I struggled to breath as the closeness put our lips just inches apart. Growling, I turned my head away and tried to ignore the effect he was having on me. While my head was turned away though, he took the opportunity to reach up and used his nail to gouge a cut into his neck.

As he did, the spice of freshly bloomed carnations enveloped me and I closed my eyes tightly as I tried to lean away from him. "Adrian, stop it. I won't bite you."

"Just bite down and take a few sips," He cajoled. "The feeder is already out there waiting to give me back whatever blood you take so it won't hurt to feed yourself. Come on, nymph."

I shook my head but Adrian grasped my chin with his fingers and slowly turned my head until our eyes met.

"You won't hurt me," He assured me, his voice dancing through my head, his fingers stroking my chin and soothing me. "Just bite down and take what you need to strengthen yourself."

His voice echoed in my mind and I slowly nodded as his fingers led me towards his neck. He continued to speak and kept me calm. I kissed the side of his neck over the small gouge, a drop of blood staining my lips as I eased back. My tongue darted out to grab it and the taste of hot spices and warm cider burst through my mouth. At that first taste, I knew I had to have more and my tongue darted out to lick the wound, lapping up the little drops that were sliding down his throat.

Once more flavor filled my mouth and I moaned as I opened my mouth and placed it against his skin, my eyes easing shut as I sucked on his neck, pulling the blood closer to the surface before I gently sank my teeth into him. Instantly, blooded flooded my mouth, bringing with it the taste of spiced cider. I sucked at his neck and Adrian moaned as he pressed closer. He moved his head farther to the side to give me better access, his fingers grasping my hips and digging in as he pulled me against him.

I could not remember why I had refused to feed as I drank from him, his blood filling me and rushing through my veins. I moaned at the sensation of him holding me, of his hands on me despite the bruising grip. I took another pull of his blood and he sucked in a deep breath, releasing it on a growl as he shifted his hands to my legs. A low whimper sounded against his throat but it was gone a moment later as he hoisted me up, spreading my legs and wrapping them around him. He rocked forward and I gasped as the new position put him directly between the vee of my legs. I rolled my hips forward, brushing against him and sending another burst of heat through me that traveled from between my legs up through my spine. It was pure pleasure.

I dug my fingers into his shoulders and pulled him closer as I took another long pull. He continued to push against me but his hold on me weakened, his legs nearly folding from underneath us. I felt my back slip against the wall and a far corner of mind told me this was a bad sign.

"Stop," I said hoarsely and whimpered as my started to cloud. "I have to stop."

Adrian shook his head and rubbed his nose against the column of my throat, "Not yet."

"No more," I gasped, wrenching my head away.

I rested my head on his shoulder and tried to slow my breathing. The scent of carnations and sandalwood was heavy in the air but I ignored. The heat broiling low in my stomach was another problem but there was nothing I could do about it now other than fight it back. I breathed deeply and fought to calm down.

Once I was calm again, I moved back and turned my head to glance Adrian. He still had his head on my shoulder but I could clearly see the veins under his skin, skin that was far paler than was healthy for a Moroi. I swallowed thickly and lightly pushed at his shoulders. "We need to get you to the feeder," I said as I let my feet drop back down. "I took too much."

Adrian shook his head and gave a light laugh. "I'll be fine, nymph."

"You're pale, Akri," I frowned. I'm not sure what made me use the nickname, but I was glad for it when Adrian gave me a full smile, his teeth flashing as he looked down at me.

"You didn't take too much," He assured me again and laced his fingers through my hair.

He was still grinning as he moved forward just a fraction; that small movement was enough though as it brought our lips together. The first touch was a shock, his firm lips pressing into mine in a gentle touch before pulling away. The second was a delight, making me gasp as he pressed deeper, meshing our lips together and coaxing my mouth open for a heated kiss. The third was purely electrifying as he moved closer, cupping my face and angling my head up to strengthen the bond. And the fourth touch was just straight heaven, his tongue dipping into my mouth and lightly stroking across my tongue, caressing it and inviting it back into his mouth for a playful sparring.

I moaned at the touch and nearly wept at how such a passionate kiss could be so gentle. My hands went up and I tangled them in his hair to pull him closer, urging him to deepen the kiss. He responded accordingly in seconds. All too soon though the kiss ended, his tongue retreating back to its own mouth, and his lips closing and easing to a gentle touch of lips on lips before they too retreated and left me bereft of touch.

I never realized that I had closed my eyes until I heard Adrian chuckle, felt as he rubbed his knuckles along my cheek. Opening them, I looked up into his eyes, staring into the deep orbs that now shown a green so dark they almost appeared brown. A tingle traveled down my spine and I swallowed as I looked down at my feet.

"That was a bad idea," I finally said, my voice rasping.

"What was?" He laughed darkly. "The feeding or the kiss? And what was so bad, the fact that we did it when an attack is imminent or the fact that we did it at all?"

"Both- all four," I sighed, pulling at my shirt which was now severely wrinkled. "I shouldn't have chanced feeding, there was no way of knowing I could stop. And we- we should never have kissed."

"And why not?" He asked. "If it's because you're interested in Dimitri, I'm sorry to say he's spoken for and I really don't think I can handle being dumped for the same guy twice."

"No," He really needed to get over that already, it has been two years. "Because I'm Strigoi and you are Moroi- I cannot live in your world despite how different I may seem. After you are all clear of this, you can launch your attack on the School, I will continue hunting Strigoi, and the lot of you can go back to Court with the Queen and the rest of her entourage."

"Zuri-"

The door to the room burst open and I think instinct took over. At the sound of the door banging open, Adrian went to pull away and I moved in front of him to block any possible attacks. Luckily, the intruders were just Spiridon, Tamara, and Landen. At seeing the three of them, I rolled my eyes and relaxed.

"There's a thing called knocking," Adrian said dryly.

"Yea, but we weren't sure if you were alive to answer," Landen replied.

The three Guardians glanced from me to Adrian and all three of them were grinning as they did so. Glancing at Adrian, I tried to see what they saw. His hair was messier than ever, and it was actually a natural mess this time, standing up on end every which way as if he had ran his fingers through it hundreds of times. I'm not for sure, but I think I may have helped with that. Moving on, I saw that his skin was still pale, though there was a faint tinge of pink coloring high on his cheekbones and his lips were swollen and stained a deep pink- almost red. On the left side of his neck was my bite mark, the little holes glowing against his pale skin and showcased by blood that had dried around it. His chest was still bare and I found myself grinning in appreciation as I looked from his slim shoulders down to his muscled chest and further down to the smooth expanse of stomach. It was a shame that I had not noticed it earlier, I thought, because I seriously would have enjoyed touching it. His boxers rode low on his hips, he never bothered to grab his pants on the way out of the sitting room, and there was nothing to hide or detract from the obvious tenting at the front of his shorts.

This time, there was nothing to prevent the blush that came rushing to my cheeks, lighting me up brightly as I turned my eyes back up to his. The idiot had a big grin on his face, his emerald green eyes were returning back to their usual color but they sparkled with amusement and desire. My flush deepened as I realized what conclusion the Guardians had drawn and I turned away from Adrian all together.

"I'll send in the feeder," I snapped on my way out.

I had only taken two steps when his hand wrapped around my arm and stopped me. "We'll finish this discussion later," He murmured low enough just for me to hear,

I did not look at him as I gave him a jerk of my head. "Get dressed."

Out in the sitting room everyone else stood, no doubt anxious for the sign that the attack had begun. As I entered, Rose looked me over and I cursed as another blush rose up.

"So you did feed," She commented quietly.

"Adrian used compulsion on her," Lissa informed her. "She wasn't going to feed on her own."

I was not for sure what she meant by compulsion, but somehow I got the feeling that Adrian using it should seriously piss me off. My feelings were rarely wrong. The other three Guardians came up behind me and Spiridon was still smiling as he leaned against the back of one of the couches.

He glanced at an older human woman who sat serenely in a chair. "He says give him a few minutes before joining him."

"How is he?" Alberta asked matter of factly.

"He's fine," Landen waived at her. "He just wanted a moment to himself."

"He can have that later," I glared at the floor. "Go on in now."

The human looked to Spiridon for guidance and the silly oaf laughed before motioning for her to go on.

Only a few seconds passed before there was a shriek and a dull curse. It may have been petty, but I felt I was justified and smiled. A few more minutes passed before Adrian came back out, dressed in a pair of black slacks and a green sweater. His hair was once more styled to look messy and he had a pout as he entered the room. He was seriously pouting!

Spiridon saw his charge's face and burst into laughter again while Landen controlled himself to a single lip twitch.

"I told you to keep her up here for a few more minutes," Adrian stated flatly.

"The attack is due to start in five minutes," Rose informed him. "There was no reason to hold her up here."

"I think Doreen would say otherwise," I smiled.

Lissa frowned at me for a moment and I flicked a glance at the floor before meeting her gaze. The young Queen frowned for a moment longer before she too grinned and began giggling.

It was Rose's turn to look bewildered until Lissa motioned for her to bend down and whispered into her friend's ear. A moment later, Rose smiled and shook her head at Adrian.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," She scolded playfully, "You should have known she'd get even for you using compulsion on her."

Adrian gave me a sidelong glance and I smiled at him innocently. Stan was watching our byplay and he gave a noise of disgust.

"Why don't you just heal her already?" He snapped. "Why are we keeping her as a Strigoi who could turn on us at any moment?"

"We can't chance it in the midst of these attacks," Lissa answered. "Healing Dimitri drained me and he was just a normal Strigoi. Zuri isn't normal. She still has pieces of her soul which means there is no way of knowing what type of effect it would have on the healer."

"Since she has parts of her soul, wouldn't it make it that much easier to heal her?" Landen asked.

"It could," Lissa shrugged. "Or it could make it that much harder. When healing, only one soul is being called. Her soul is in pieces- there's no guarantee they're all in the same place and then there is piecing them all back together and making one complete soul."

Lost, I looked over to Adrian with a questioning glance. "What are they talking about?"

Instead of answering me though, he shook his head, "It's part of what we need to talk about later."

Before I could say anything else, a loud bell started clanging. The first wave of Strigoi was making their move. I grinned to myself before I looked out over the room to see everyone checking their weapons and adjusting the Kevlar vests they wore under their clothes. "Just remember, the first wave is centered on the younger students. The second wave will be half an hour later and will go straight for the older students. Fifteen minutes later, the third and final wave will come in and a number will have guns. Try to be careful and don't make it too obvious that you were expecting the attack."

"Don't worry, nymph," Adrian smiled. "We'll be sure to act a little stupid."

"But is it really an act with you?" I smiled. Adrian gave me an injured look and I grinned as I watched all of the other Guardians file outside.

The general plan for tonight would be that the main targets stayed in Adrian's room while their Guardians took post outside in the hall. Tamara's team was stationed on the ground floor as initial protection. All of the elevators were shut down so the only way up was via the stairway and I was posted right at the top. Hopefully, none of the idiots from the School would be able to get pass Tamara.


	7. Recognition Sucks

**Chapter 7: Recognition Sucks**

Sadly, my hopes proved false.

I took position at the top of the stairs, my own special silver stake in one hand. The stake itself is not really special, just one I lifted from the Headmaster's office before I escaped, but the little thing had seen me through plenty of attacks. It being silver though meant it could burn me as well so I made sure to pull on a set of full gloves to protect my hands. My other hand remained empty, but when fighting with a Strigoi, it is always a good idea to keep one hand free in case you need to break their jaw or something. Breaking jaws can be fun from time to time in my mind, especially if the jaw happens to belong to a Strigoi.

An hour passed after the start of the attack and another half hour went by before I began hearing the sounds of fighting from the ground floor. The stairway door to the ground floor was left cracked open so I could hear what was happening and I was thankful for it as I listened. If any of the Strigoi got past the team in the lobby, they only had one choice on how to reach the royal suites: the stairway.

Another half hour or so passed before the ground floor door banged open and the sound of pounding feet filled the stairwell. I stepped back and stayed out of sight as I waited for them to reach the top, fighting the urge to tap my foot in agitation as they seemed to take their time. The first one to breach the top landing was one of the more experienced, but the lack of a gun in his hand told me more than anything that he was also one of the more expendable.

He took two steps before my scent reached him, but by that time it was too late. My hand wrapped around his throat and I kept a tight hold as I swung around, slamming his back up against a wall as I drove my stake into his chest and angled it up until it pierced his heart. He barely had time to register the pain before the life fled his body.

The guy following him had more warning as the sickly metallic scent of Strigoi blood drifted through the air and filled the stairwell. He ducked low and tackled me, slamming his weight into me and driving us both into the door. The metal creaked at the impact and gave way under us, splintering apart and sending us both sprawling onto the floor.

"Looks like the party has started," Landen crowed.

I shot him an annoyed look but he was busy as three more Strigoi came through, all of them armed with guns. I grunted as the one I was wrestling with took a kidney shot and switched my glare to him.

"You're such a pussy," I taunted him. "You're the only one of the lot who doesn't have a gun and you think you're big shit for tackling a girl?"

He snapped his teeth and grabbed a handful of hair, jerking my head sharply, "I took down a Guardian, that's all that matters right now little girl."

I rolled my eyes and drove my fist up into his chin, grinning in satisfaction as I heard his teeth clack against each other followed by the sound of bone giving. He howled in pain and rolled away, holding his dislocated jaw as I jumped up to my feet.

"You really should study better," I smiled and shook my head in mock disappointment. "If you had, you would've known that Moroi and Guardians don't have red eyes."

The Strigoi opened one of his eyes and glared up at me but I saw the flash of realization as he stared at my eyes.

"You-" He groaned in pain and held his jaw tighter. "You're one of us."

He continued to stare at me and I glared as I knelt and held my stake above his chest.

"I'm Strogoi, yes, but I'm nothing like any of you." I hissed.

Panic streaked across his face and I smiled grimly before I sat up and pushed the stake home, putting all of my weight and strength behind it so that it sailed smoothly through his breastplate and landed directly in his heart.

That makes two down. I turned around and saw that Spiridon, Landen, Rose, and Dimitri were each occupied by a group of seven Strigoi. Even as I took this in, two more darted from the stairway and raced towards the door to the suite.

"_Yebet_," I glanced once more at the Guardians but they were all engaged.

Rose caught my eye and jerked her head towards the door, "Mia and Christian are good, but they might need help. Go on."

I nodded and quickly ran past them, charging into the suite to see Adrian standing in front of Lissa with Mia beside him. The offensive water user had an intense look of concentration and I saw that she had a mass of water formed into a whip that she was using to keep one of the Strigoi at bay. Christian stood farther ahead of them and he had a twisted smile on his face as he waved his hand towards the second Strigoi.

There was barely time to blink before a wave of fire followed his movement and engulfed its target, sending it screaming as it tumbled around the room. The stench of burning flesh filled the room and I grimaced. About the only thing worse than being burned by silver is to be burned by fire.

I shook my head at the thought and quickly moved forward, grabbing one of the chairs and tossing it through the window. Glass shattered, drawing the attention of the burning Strigoi. At the chance to escape the burning embers, he ran and jumped through the open space. Unfortunately, being on fire dulls your sense and, instead of landing like he was taught, he simply fell.

Shrugging my shoulders at some people's stupidity, I glanced back to see Christian had moved on to another target, three more Strigoi having came in.

"You guys are slacking off," I called out to the hall.

"_Thought you might like the chance to prove yourself_," Dimitri smarted off in Russian. "_Let us see how much you have learned from that School_."

"I learned a sight more than these _ublyudki_," I laughed back, catching the attention of one of the new assailants.

A female Strigoi jerked around when I spoke and I inwardly grimaced as I recognized her. At six foot-five inches with the body of a model, hair a deep burnished auburn, and eyes darker than coals with the blending of red, she was hard not to miss. Born a Moroi and spoiled beyond belief even after being forcefully Awakened, Chelsea Rasoran had taken an instant disliking to me.

"So this is where you ran off to," She sneered, flicking her hair over her shoulder as if she did not have a worry in the world. "Headmaster has been on Matt to find you for a while now. Tell me, are you continuing your work here?"

"What can I say, work was getting kind of boring," I said flippantly as I copied her move and flicked my hair over my shoulder. "It was the same day in and day out; you have to admit, no one at the School is known for their originality."

"You never seemed to complain," Chelsea responded.

"Why complain? After so long things become routine and I don't even have to pay full attention to get it right. You wouldn't understand though, you're one of those that have to concentrate to get anything right."

I glanced over her shoulder to see that Mia and Christian were easily handling the other four. Whether it was simply my last comment or the fact that she noticed my inattentiveness, Chelsea sprang across the room with a rasping growl and wrapped her hands around my throat.

"The only reason any of them come to you is because you look like that damn dhampir," She growled as she tightened her hold. "If it weren't for the resemblance, no one would have anything to do with you."

I could not hold back the snort that escaped. I rolled my eyes at her and slipped my forearms between her hands, levering them apart and weakening her hold. Her grasp slipped, giving me the time to knock her away from me.

"If that were the case, none of them would have visited me half as much as they did," I replied calmly in a low whisper that only the Strigoi would be able to pick up. "Last time I checked, it was always my name they called, not hers, and certainly not any of their girlfriends'. The only name any of them ever spoke once they entered my room was 'Nymphadori'. Well, except for Matt. The first year or so he called out 'David' or 'Steven', but never has your name passed his lips."

I grinned widely and crouched as I prepared for the tackle I knew would come. Sure enough, the moment my words registered, Chelsea gave a loud howl of anger and charged. Her hands held out in front of her and curled into claws. She sank hands into my hair and tangled it around her fist, giving it a hard pull. The nails bit deep into my skin and she tried her best to claw deep into my scalp.

The two of us hit the ground rolling, her fighting to get the upper hand while I tried to throw her off. Hair gave way under her sharp pulls and a low rumble began building in my chest as she continued to pull at it, trying her hardest to jerk out large handfuls even as she banged my head against the ground. I returned the favor as I grabbed a handful of her hair and yanked hard, pulling out a whole clump of hair

"You are so predictable," I grunted as I kept hold of her hair and slammed her sideways, driving her head against the floor.

She took the move in stride and barely flinched before adjusting her grip on my head and banging it against the ground. I gave up on the concept of 'girl fighting' when she let go with one hand and wrapped it around my throat, digging her nails in deep. The witch kept her nails sharpened to a point so the moment she dug in to my neck, blood began pouring out.

"Don't go spreading filthy rumors like that you whore!" She growled out, not bothering to lower her voice.

I yelled out at the pain and cursed before I took a tight hold on her head with one hand, cocking the other back and driving my fist into her face. There was a loud snap as cartilage gave way. I did not pause before I drove my fist into her again, rolling us as I did so that I was crouched over her. I drove my fist into her face again, inwardly cheering as I heard her cheekbone shatter from the force of my blow.

Chelsea cried out and let go of me, her hands going up to cup her face and to ward off any more blows. I growled low in my throat and leaned down close, keeping my voice as low to a whisper as it would go so that not even the other Strigoi would be able to hear what I was saying.

"You may be Matthew's girlfriend, but you don't know what satisfies him; you have no idea what type of shit he is into. If you did, he'd have no need for me." I pulled back and met her glaring eyes. I didn't bother whispering now. "Why do you think Matthew got so bent out of shape when I ran off with that Moroi, David Gorrin? You need to face it, Chels, he's just with you because that's what everyone expects; the Masters star pupil and the popular little twit- the two most popular and most feared."

"You just want Matt for yourself," Chelsea gritted out between clenched teeth. "But one man isn't enough for you is it? I can smell someone else on you; that Moroi over there by the Queen. I can smell him on you- his blood is in you now."

Her eyes glitter maliciously as she glanced behind me. The sounds of fighting were beginning to die down and I could smell that Rose and Dimitri were now in the room with us, fighting the Strigoi that still remained. The stench of burnt flesh still suffused the room and I could sense that Christian and Mia were nearby.

"He must mean something to you if you didn't kill him during your feeding," Her eyes returned to me and she gave me one of her superior smiles. "Then again, you always were so insistent about not killing anyone. It was a waste of blood to awaken you."

I rolled my eyes as I leaned back and pushed my hair over my shoulder. I arched a brow at the spoiled woman. "Well, it seems the Headmaster disagrees and Matthew must have too, otherwise he wouldn't have done it. We all know that my changing wasn't an accident; he could have stopped things at any point but he didn't. Instead, he waited and decided to Awaken me."

"I should have killed you the first time I saw you," Chelsea spit at me.

"Yea, you should have," I smiled.

I pulled out my spare stake and twirled it in my hand. Her eyes followed the movement with unease but she met my gaze as she snorted contemptuously.

"You're as soft as those damn humans; you don't have it in you to kill someone," She said snidely. "You'll never be a true Strigoi and there's no way for you to return to how you were."

"First, I don't care if I have to stay Strigoi- so long as you and everyone else at the School dies, I could care less what happens to me. As for me not having it in me to kill, that's changed." I shrugged carelessly and smiled as I stopped twirling my stake and brought the point level with her eyes. I waited until she was looking at it before I trailed it down and used it to lift up my shirt. I sat farther back and let her see the markings that lined my abdomen. "Each of these little stars represents six kills, and all of them have either been Strigoi or one of their human followers. You do the math."

Chelsea's eyes widened and they darted up to my face, fear and disbelief lighting them now. "You wouldn't dare-"

"Don't tell me what I would or would not dare to do," I snapped, leaning down and getting in her face. "You are at the top of my Kill list, after your stupid boyfriend and his damned Master."

She narrowed her eyes at me and shifted as if to buck me off. I snapped my teeth in her face and pressed my stake between her breasts.

"One more move and I will put this right through your black little heart," I warned.

"No you won't," She answered easily.

Her whole body relaxed and I stared down at her as a smile spread across her face. Confusion flitted through me. Why the hell is she smiling when she has a stake pressed against her chest? Behind me, there was a loud crash and I glanced over my shoulder to see Dimitri standing over a Strigoi who lay amongst the broken remains of a wooden coffee table. Beside him, Rose was straddling another, a stake sunk deeply into his chest.

Mia stood bent over near the window, a large bruise already forming on her jaw from where someone got her. Her eyes were riveted on Christian as he stepped back from a smoldering corpse. He turned towards one of the far corners and there was a flash of fear before he schooled his features. I followed his gaze to see Lissa standing in one of the farther corners, a hand protectively covering her neck and her eyes wide with fear. Adrian stood directly in front of her, his hands outstretched and grasping the head of the Strigoi that knelt at his feet.

He had a look of concentration on his face and I frowned as the Strigoi suddenly began screaming and swatting at himself. He clawed at his own skin and screamed loudly as he tore off chunks of skin and muscle.

I will not deny it, I got sidetracked. It is not every day that you see someone clawing at themselves. I stared at the sight as he continued to claw at himself, screaming loudly and rolling around on the floor.

"What did you do?" Lissa asked, her voice low and hoarse.

"I made him think that his greater fear had come true," Adrian replied in a rasp. He stepped back and stumbled but quickly recovered as he looked down at the Strigoi. "He was afraid of being attacked by flesh eating beetles."

Lissa frowned and looked down at the screaming man before she cast Rose a beseeching look. "Rose?"

The dhampir turned to look at her friend, seeing the silent plea in her eyes. She huffed but stood and quickly took care of the screaming fiend. I was still stuck on the part where Adrian had made him think his fear was coming true. As far as I knew, the only abilities available to a Moroi had to do with the four elements. Last I checked, mind manipulation or whatever it was he had just done, was not part of any of the four elements.

And of course, like the witch she is, Chelsea noticed my lack of attention and took action. I was still staring at Adrian and Lissa, trying to figure out what had happened, when Chelsea shifted under me and reminded me that she was still there. It was too late by then of course.

I turned back to her in time to see her swinging the gun up. All I took in was the flash of steel before the butt of the gun connected with my cheek. Stars flashed behind my eyelids and I bit back a groan. My hold on the stake kept and I lifted it a fraction to get better leverage. Before I could do anything though, there was another flash of steel and the barrel was leveled with my head. I heard a spring creak as she began squeezing the trigger.

Not wanting to test the extent of my healing abilities, I decided to play it safe. I dove to the side, hearing the loud 'bang' as the gun fired. There was a blast of heat as the bullet streaked past my head. I hit the floor hard and rolled, coming up to my feet within moments. Chelsea took no time in escaping though. As soon as the gun discharged, she was on her feet and racing for the window.

Everyone reacted at the sound of the gunshot. Dimitri and Rose jumped in front of Lissa and Christian, Adrian and Mia both dropped to the floor. I cursed as I saw Chelsea step up on the windowsill.

I ran forward and she shot me a contemptuous look. "By the time I'm done with you, you will be begging for death."

With that said, she jumped.

I reached the window and looked down to watch as she landed in a crouch and tumbled forward into a roll. She recovered quickly and cast me one last look before she took off across the campus. Several Guardians noted her and took chase but it was already too late. Chelsea may be spoiled and stuck up, but she was also the fastest runner the School had.

"_Chert voz'mi_!_ Prosto chertovski chert voz'mi v ad_!" I cursed and ran an agitated hand through my hair. The other punched at the windowsill angrily. "_Grebanyi suka_!"

"I take it that means something went wrong?" Spiridon asked.

I turned to see him and Landen entering the room, both of them looking rough for the wear.

"Yea, one of the Strigoi got away," I cursed again and turned to look out the window. "She recognized me which means our timeline just got shortened."

* * *

**A/N: **And that ends ch7. It was so hard to keep Zuri from killing Chelsea but I shall console myself with the fact that she will before the end of this story. The next chapter is planned (note the word 'planned', Zuri doesn't always like to follow plans) to be a bit lighter. Obvious teasing for her letting her target escape, as well as some seriousness as they realize the repurcussions. Also, here are the translations for what Zuri said:

_Yebet_- fuck

_Ublyudki_- bastards

_Chert voz'mi!_- Dammit!

_Prosto chertovski chert voz'mi v ad!_- Just fucking dammit to hell!

_Grebanyi suka_- Fucking bitch


	8. Strategy Equals Insanity

**A/N: **Alright, so this chapter did not go as planned, like I said Zuri does not always listen. I had planned to have a surprise guest show but Zuri was not in the mod. She said that if I let him show, she'd kill him. And we can't have that since he actully has a role to play later on. That being said, this chapter is actually more serious and has quite a bit of information to it since they are strategizing for the next attack. The title really says it all because I was going insane trying to piece it all together. So, I hope you like it. If so, go ahead and leave a review, if not, just stop reading. Thank You!

* * *

**Chapter 8: Strateg****y Equals Insanity**

After the attack, everyone focused on seeing to the wounded and counting the losses. It was morning by the time the counts were done and, even though we came up on the winning side, no one in the room was particularly happy.

"So, what happened last night?"

I shifted in my seat and sent Alberta a glare. She continued to sit in her chair and did not move as she met my gaze with a blank face. After a few minutes, I was the one who gave in. I turned away and stared at the window which was now covered to block out any sunlight.

"I got distracted," I huffed angrily. I really wished they would just drop it already but they showed no sign of wanting to do so.

"Yes, but what distracted you?" Rose asked. "You obviously knew her with how much the two of you were talking."

"Her name is Chelsea and she's currently dating the man who'd leading the assault," I grimaced. "She and I have never gotten along."

"You mentioned something about Matthew getting bent out of shape when you ran off with a Moroi," Christian commented. "Would Matthew happen to be her boyfriend?"

"Yes, the one and only. Matthew Garrison is the top student at the School and he's been with Chelsea since she arrived and became the most popular girl."

"So it really is like high school," Mia smiled. "Did Matt have the hots for you? Is that why Chelsea hates you so much and why he got upset with you for running off with someone else?"

I snorted out a laugh and shook my head. "Matthew hates me even more than Chelsea does. When I had Chelsea pinned to the floor with a stake to her chest, she was so scared she looked about ready to piss herself. Then, suddenly, she just relaxed and smiled. The only reason she'd have to do that is if Matthew showed up. A moment later, I heard a loud crash behind me and thought for a moment that he really must have. I let myself get distracted which gave her the chance to escape."

"Yea, but turning to see what caused the noise shouldn't have distracted you enough for her to slip free," Landen frowned.

"No, but I was still distracted," I sniffed disdainfully as I look back around the room. "After I saw that Dimitri had caused the noise by taking out a target, I checked the rest of the room to see if maybe Matthew was somewhere else. That's when I noticed Adrian was holding one of the Strigoi and caused him to go crazy and start attacking himself."

Adrian grinned widely and leaned back to sprawl out on his end of the couch. "So you were distracted by me? I'm flattered."

"I wasn't distracted by you," I snapped. "I was distracted by something you said. You said that you made him think his biggest fear was coming true. I was trying to figure out which element would give you that ability but none of the four elements matched up with it."

Everyone present exchanged glances and I frowned as I noticed the looks they all wore. I was getting ready to ask what it was about when Adrian leaned forward and braced his forearms on his legs.

"You mean they really don't know yet?" He puzzled. "It's been two years and three Strigoi have been healed. How could they not have learned by now?"

I looked around the room but no one spoke. A frustrated sigh escaped me. "What hasn't been learned yet?"

Rose, Lissa, Christian, Adrian, and Dimitri all exchanged glances again before Lissa sat up straighter and looked me in the eye. "There aren't just four elements, there are five. Earth, fire, water, and air are just the most common. The fifth element is rare and we've only learned of a handful of people who have it. In fact, there are only seven so far- three of them are already dead."

"The first was St. Vladimir himself," Rose pointed out. "Then Robert Doru and Avery Lazar."

I nodded to myself at the names. "I've heard some about St. Vladimir and Robert and Avery were brought up during the study of Royal Moroi. Only, they were identified as Air users."

"Spirit users usually are," Lissa sighed regretfully. "They're either labeled as air users or are considered to have no affinity at all."

"Spirit?" I frowned.

Lissa nodded. "Spirit is the fifth element and it is very rare. Most end up going crazy or close to. I almost went mad before I even knew what it was."

"So you're a Spirit user?"

"As are Adrian and one of the teachers here, Sonya Karp," Lissa nodded.

"There's Oksana in Russia, too," Rose added.

I straightened at the name and shot Alberta a quick look. "Sonya Karp? She used to be a Strigoi, she's considered to be a prize because no one can figure out how she turned back to a Moroi."

"She turned back courtesy of the Queen," Alberta said, inclining her head towards Lissa.

"Spirit users have a number of abilities," Lissa started and shot Adrian a quick look. "We can do some healing, access other people's dreams, we are good at compulsions too, which lets us convince them to do just about anything we ask. We can also manipulate their mind into making them think they see or hear something that isn't really there."

"Or make them think that what they see or hear is not there at all or something completely different," Adrian added. "We can see auras as well, or souls you might say."

"And is this element that let you turn Dimitri and Sonya back to normal?" I asked with an arched brow. "With how much the School has learned, it is a surprise that they don't already know this. If they did, I'm sure the Spirit users would become their top priorities; they don't like losing their people to a stake, they like it even less when they're suddenly turned back to normal."

Another look passed through the room and I rolled my eyes at them."Let's move on to the main topic then. We can come back to this another time. What are the numbers for last night again?"

Alberta shifted and seemed to relax as we turned to the case at hand. "We lost three Moroi students and eight Guardians which puts our numbers at twenty-nine. The other remaining reinforcements will be arriving during the morning hours over the next three days and that will put our numbers up to sixty-three."

"And how many Strigoi were accounted for?"

"We counted a hundred and two dead and ten more were captured," Landen filled in.

I nodded as I added the numbers in my head. "The attack was originally set for one hundred plus the seventeen survivors from the first attack. That means only five got away."

"Including the one that you had pinned to the floor?" Spiridon asked me with a playful grin.

I glared at him and let out a huff of annoyance. "I already told you, I got distracted. I know it was a mistake and that it's cost us time we didn't have to begin with."

"How much has this affected the timeline?" Alberta inquired.

"The third attack was originally set for four days from today and the fourth and final was set four days later." I recounted. "By now their human supporters have already arrived which means that they'll be watching the roads during the day and ensuring none of us try to leave. That being said, they know for sure that they can cut their times down."

"But by how much?" Rose demanded.

"Knowing Chelsea as I do, she ran and told Matt about me as soon as she could. Matt knows how much she hates me so he'll assume that she saw Rose and mistook her for me," I told them as I leaned back and stared at the ceiling. "He'll still be cautious. Knowing him, he'll cut the timeline in half, giving him one week to carry out all four attacks."

"It's already been four days," Lissa looked to Rose and Dimitri. "That means there are only three left to carry out the final two attacks."

I nodded. "That being said, the next attack will take place day after tomorrow and the final attack will happen the following day."

"Up until then, he'll have given us two and three days between attacks so we wouldn't be expecting it for at least another day," Alberta nodded to herself before looking at me. "That won't give them much time to alter their attack plans."

"True," I shook my head, "Matt won't want to change them too much anyway. They've been practicing these exact attacks for months and all of the students have the details down to an art. If he changes them up too much, he chances one of the others forgetting and throwing the plan off."

"So he'll only make minutes changes," Rose leaned to the side and rested on the arm of the couch by Lissa. "Once we learn the original attack, we should easily be able to account for any changes he'd make."

"Exactly," I smiled. I selected a binder from the stack in my bag and placed it on the new coffee table. "Like I said, the next attack will take place day after tomorrow. The first thing Matt will do is try to figure out how much information I've told you guys. After that, he'll gather what information he has and decide which course of action to take."

"You said he wouldn't make any major changes in case it through the others off," Dimitri spoke.

"And he won't," I assured them. "The third attack was never set in stone. What they learned from the first two attacks would help them decide which plan to use. With so many plans to choose from, it will be hard to figure out which one he'll use. For now, he'll want to save the bulk of his forces so he'll tell them to hold back and save their strength for the fourth and final attack when the most force will be needed."

"Which means what for us?" Landen asked, wanting to get straight to the point.

"When they were planning this, they decided to take three hundred and fifty students; a hundred of them being the most advanced students the School had to act as generals to keep the others in line. They counted on having fifty humans to act as watch outs during the day for them. Based off my count, they've lost a hundred and seventy." I scratched my head and leaned forward, trying to think everything through. "That leaves a hundred and eighty. Chances are, at the next attack, Matt will only send in the most advanced."

"Which means there will be a hundred at the most," Spiridon surmised.

I nodded my head and flipped the binder open to scan down the list of contents. "I know we took out a few in the last attack. To get a better number, best count up how many of the dead Strigoi carried guns. There's no way Matthew would have trusted a newb with one and I guarantee Chelsea was the lead so no one ranked below an expert would have had one either."

"Landen?" Alberta called quietly.

Landen sighed but nodded his head. He stood and left the room, mumbling under his breath. If I'm not mistaken, he said, "I'll go count the blasted dead like a good little errand boy while you discuss the battle tactics. Don't know why I thought you'd need me, after all, I just graduated a few months ago. Stupid me."

I kept the smile from my face and turned to scan down the list once more. This binder was mainly a collection of backup plans and emergency escape routes in case the Strigoi base camp was found. I tried to think which of the plans Matthew would use. He would want to save the bulk of his force which is why he'd stay with the advanced group. They had a better chance of surviving.

My eyes jumped down to the advanced plans and I quickly ruled out the plans that called for more than ninety people; in other words, anything that did not call strictly for the advanced group. After that, I tried to remember what else might factor into his decision.

"By now he knows I'm here so he won't use any of the plans he helped create; that rules out the first three plans," I muttered to myself. "He also knows that we're on the top floor of guest housing so he'll want a plan that guarantees him access."

"How do you know what each plan entails?" Spiridon asked as he looked over my shoulder.

I smiled, "It's kind of hard to understand at first glance, but it really is simple to tell them apart. The strategies for escape have various names that relate to an escape route." I pointed to a few for example, "See, there's Footpath, Trader's Route, and Forest Trail. They aren't listed in any particular order here but the way to tell them apart is in the name. The smaller the number of survivors, the smaller the path name."

Spiridon nodded and leaned farther down. "So all of these others would be plans of attack?"

"Exactly. Some of them are meant only for the average students; these are marked by having the word 'Peasant' in the title. Then there are those meant just for the advanced students, in which case the word 'Baron' is in the title. For those attacks that include both, there is no key word, just a brief title that surmises the attack plan." I frowned as I glanced down to find an example and smiled when my eyes lit upon one. I pointed it out for him to see, "Such as the first attack which is known as the Moroi Inquisition. The attack focused on areas where Morois are usually found: the younger and older Moroi dorms and guest housing where they assumed the Queen would be."

"You mentioned that there was no specific plan in mind for this next attack," Dimitri spoke up as he too stood over her to read the paper. "So which do you think are the most likely?"

"Like I said, Matthew is easy to guess. He'll only use the advanced group for this attack and that means only the plans with the word 'Baron' in the title are viable options." I pointed out the ten titles that had the word Baron in it and everyone nodded as they listened in. "After that, I can rule out the plans Matthew helped create. Whenever it comes time to a plan, whoever offers the most to it is the most likely to lead it. If you notice, each of these has a mark by it. Matthew's mark is a simple dot so I rule out all those that have a dot beside them."

"So that leaves four possible plans," Spiridon smiled.

"Yes, but now we only need those that include guest housing. Before, they had no idea where you were staying. They assumed you'd be here and that Alberta would have moved you to either the Guardian barracks or to the Moroi Dorms after the first attack. Because of this, they had to have several backup plans. Notice the four titles left: Baron of Petrovich, A Baron's Ransom, The Child Baron, and A Strict Baron."

"And each of these suggest which targets are included?" Alberta frowned.

I smiled at the note of disbelief and continued on. "The 'Baron' plans were all focused on grabbing the Queen. Now that they know I'm here, they'll use one of these and try to grab her in the next attack. The fourth will simply be to grab whoever else they can or, in the case that they fail to get her the first time, this will be their chance to grab her. That being said, they'll want the plan that relates to our current location."

"Well, the Child Baron is out," Rose said. "If these relate to possible places for the Queen, than the term 'child' must refer to the Moroi dorms."

This time I smiled and nodded, "Bingo. 'Child' refers to the Moroi dorms, just as 'Strict' and 'Petrovich' refer to the Guardian barracks."

Rose snorted and glanced at Dimitri who offered a small smile. "Which just leaves A Baron's Ransom."

"Exactly," I flipped to the page where the plan was laid out in detail. "Anyone of royalty can be ransomed in a normal situation and, usually, only Royals would be expected to be in the guest housing."

"So what is the plan?" Alberta demanded impatiently.

I looked up and saw that she was sitting at the edge of her seat, straining to read what the paper said. From the look of puzzlement on her face, I guess she cannot read upside down. Spiridon, Dimitri, Mia, Christian, and Rose all crowded closer and peered down at the page, reading the strategy for themselves while Lissa, Adrian, and Alberta waited to be filled in.

I glanced down at the paper myself and quickly scanned the contents to refresh my memory. By the time I finished, Spiridon was straightening up with a frown on his face.

"That's all?" He asked in disbelief. "That's all they've got for us?"

I shrugged and tapped the title, drawing his gaze to the word ''Baron'. "This plan is only for the advanced students. The Headmaster has been planning this since he first thought of building the School. He recruited the best and most skilled Strigoi he could find and he made a special program just for them to help them improve. All of the other students have simply been volunteers or people they forced to join. This group here are the elite. When I checked the records, he only had two hundred and eleven. Sure, he's training more, but this here is just the first batch."

"What do you mean?" Lissa sighed.

"Their grand plan is to have their human cronies stake the wards at sunset. The moment they do, the Strigoi will enter the campus," I informed her. "A fourth of their force will head straight for the Guardian barracks and try to take out as many Guardians as they can while another fourth go for the Moroi dorms where they will grab as many as they can and take them back to the camp so they can be forcefully awakened. The rest of the force will wait twenty minutes for panic to set in, and then they will come straight here. Half will lay cover fire while the rest focus on grabbing any target they can get their hands on."

"Well, that's simple," Adrian said drolly.

"Yes, the plan may be," I shot back. "But Matthew could add in any number of things. He is a sadistic bastard with one nasty ass temper."

"So what type of changes should we expect?" Dimitri asked.

"Anything and everything," I replied dryly before I sat back and breathed out a quieting breath. "Okay, let me think a moment. Guns will obviously be used again and we can probably expect knives to be added. They already have their strength to rely on and their fangs are as good a weapon as any. Other than that, I'm not really sure what else he could use."

"In other words, we have to be prepared for anything," Rose sighed and went back to her seat. "Well, we have to think of something. We'll be up to sixty-three Guardians by time the attack comes, but if they're as good as you say, then we might need to take some extra measures."

"We could move the Moroi children so they are safe during the attack," Spiridon offered but I shook my head.

"They'll have humans watching. If they see the students being moved, they'll report it back to Matthew who will simply target the new building."

"But what if they don't see?" Lissa spoke softly.

She looked from Rose to Christian and the three exchanged brief smiles before Alberta began nodding to herself.

"Shortly after Lissa became Queen, she instructed us to have tunnels built beneath the dorms that lead to a safety room for those times that Strigoi attack," Alberta smiled. "We had them built quietly and the construction was finished just last month. I had forgotten about them with the attack."

"Now's as good a time to try them out as any," Mia said giddily. "How easy is it to spot the door? And each dorm has one?"

Alberta nodded in response to the questions. "Each dorm has a door and they connect to a central room which is located beneath the main quad. The doors are located in the basement of each dorm between the water heaters. We replaced the concrete slabs with newer flooring and they are broken into smaller slabs, one of which is easily liftable to reveal the entrance."

"But Strigoi have a very heightened sense of smell," I reminded them. "They could easily follow the scent trail left by the students- it will be made infinitely easier too with so many going at once."

"They would lose the trail once they near the basement," Lissa smiled brightly. "The basements are all old and with the water heaters and boilers being down there, it is usually very humid."

"Which could easily hide any scents," I realized. "With it being old, it will surely smell that way and the heat will increase the scent. If the students have just gone down, their scents could easily be overpowered by the musky basement odors."

Spiridon nodded as he realized the genius of the idea. "The students can be escorted to the safe room an hour before sunset and the Strigoi will never realize they've gone which will keep them safe during the attack."

"We'll still need to station a few Guardians around and immediately inside the Moroi dorms so the Strigoi don't realize this," I pointed out. "With the sun having just set, they'll also expect the majority of the Guardians to still be in the barracks so a few will need to still be there."

Alberta agreed as she stood and rubbed her hands on her pants. "I will position fifteen Guardians and both points which will leave us with thirty-three here to guard the Queen. All of the potential targets will need to stay hidden in the bedroom and I will post several Guardians here in the sitting room, as well as out in the hall, down in the lobby, and around the perimeter of the building."

"It probably wouldn't hurt to lay out a trap or two," Adrian smiled, offering his own input. Everyone turned to look at him and he lifted a careless shoulder. "They have to come through the woods to reach the campus so why not lay a few traps out there? It can't be too hard. Maybe some spring traps, a snare, maybe even a trap with silver shrapnel. You never know what might work."

"That actually is a good idea, Adrian," Rose told him as she turned to Dimitri. "We can tell the Guardians who are due today to pick up the supplies on their way in and we can lay the traps tomorrow as soon as the sun rises."

Dimitri looked thoughtful for a moment but he slowly began to nod. "I will begin making a list of supplies and call Ivan. He is due in today and he is a friend of your father. He should have no problem acquiring any of it."

"So the main thing to do now is just wait," I sighed. "I do so hope that we give these Strigoi a good solid punch."


	9. Sizzle

**A/N: **Alright, so here is chapter 9. I just love, love, love, love, love this chapter. I couldn't stop smiling the whole time I was writing it and altogether it's just a funny little mushy moment. I hope you enjoy and I truly welcome any reviews. It seems everyone favors LAR but DM needs attention too people.

**Disclaimer: **I've already said I don't own Vampire Academy so I doubt it needs said again.

* * *

**Chapter 9: Sizzle**

My mind was racing as I lay in bed the next morning and I cursed as it refused to shut down. The attack was set for tomorrow and while we were as prepared as we could be, there was still no telling what type of surprises Matthew might have in store. Sure we have a few of our now but it was the fact of not knowing that was driving me insane.

Rose, Dimitri, Landen, Mia, and another Guardian named Ivan had spent the night before building various traps that were laid out early this morning. They were working on more now to use in the fourth attack and I knew that Spiridon was trying to think of ways to set traps inside the building but with our timeline I doubted if anything he thought up would prove useful. Lissa and Christian had both retired and the rest of the Guardians were preparing for the attack in their own ways. What Adrian was up to was anyone's guess and I sighed as I imagined him looking for something to drink.

I growled beneath my breath at the thought and turned onto my side, staring at the wall as I tried to distract myself. I wanted so badly to just space out and relax like I usually would, but for someone reason today I could not. My mind kept coming back to the pending attacks and wondering if maybe I should have just killed Chelsea the moment I had her pinned to the ground instead of taunting her.

A sigh slipped past my lips and I turned to my other side. "Why can't things be simpler?"

"Because that's not the way our lives are," A voice laughed softly.

I will admit, I had a girly moment. I squealed like a little girl who just had the piss scared out of her. I jackknifed up into a sitting position with the aforementioned squeal and stared at the door where Adrian was standing.

"Didn't mean to frighten you," He said but the grin on his face bellied his words. "I did knock but you didn't answer so I just let myself in. It is my room after all."

I sat up more in the bed and glared at him, "That doesn't mean anything; you should have waited for me to answer or gone away."

"Maybe," He shrugged and moved to sit on the edge of the bed. "But I did tell you that you and I have a few things to talk about. Now is as good a time as any."

"There's nothing left to discuss," I scooted back until I was leaning against the headboard and turned my head away to hide the blush I knew was present. "I talked more with Lissa earlier this morning to learn more about Spirit and how it works."

"Did she tell you about the healing?" He asked me.

I lifted a shoulder dismissively and I could almost hear the grin spreading across his face. He shifted on the bed and I tossed him a glare as he laid out beside me.

"Who said you could lay down?"

"Might as well get comfortable if I'm going to be here a while," He continued to smile and snuggled down into the center of the bed. "So, how about we continue our talk from the other day before we get into how the whole healing process works?"

"There's nothing to finish, Adrian," I sighed.

Adrian made a soft hum of agreement and I began to relax. At least, until he wrapped his arms around my waist and tossed me over him so I landed on the other side of the bed. I gasped as the air rushed out of my lungs and before I had the chance to reclaim it, he was crouched over me with his arms wrapped around my wrists, pinning me to the bed.

"I disagree," He said airily and gave me a charming smile.

I growled low in my throat and glared up at him. Any normal man would have quailed at the look but his only reaction was to drop his smile as he continued to look down at me seriously. I sighed and relaxed under him. "Why the hell are you so persistent about this?"

"I'm not really sure," Adrian's smile returned and he loosened his hold on my wrists. "I like you and I'm pretty sure you like me despite how much you've been fighting not to."

"I'm not fighting anything other than Strigoi," I retorted.

"You didn't deny liking me," He said, his grin widening. "That's the equivalent of admitting your feelings."

"I like you as much as I'd like to have a foot fungus," I instantly denied and Adrian just chuckled.

"Have you ever had a foot fungus?" He asked me and I reluctantly shook my head. "Then how do you know you won't like it?"

I reared back and stared at him, no doubt with disgust written all over my face. "It's a fungus, who the hell would like having a fungus? That's just gross!"

Adrian continued to laugh and leaned down to rub his nose along my throat. "You never know," He touched his lips against my neck and I had to hold back a shiver at the heat it sent coursing through me. "You might like it."

"I doubt it," I shifted under him and tried to shield my neck. I could feel his breath as it ghosted across my skin and the quick, light touches of lips at random spots was not helping.

"Aw, come on," He whispered coaxingly. "I can play the fungus and we'll see how much you like me."

I could not help the laugh that escaped as the ridiculousness of his words registered in my mind. "What are you going to do, glue a bunch of barnacles and clumps of moss to yourself?" My laughter became too much and I had to fight it down before I took a calming breath. "Do you have any idea how creepy and weird you sounded just now?"

Adrian pulled back at my words and gave me an injured look. "I thought I sounded very suave."

I tried to hold back the laugh that bubbled up and it ended up coming out as a stifled snort. "Akri, if that was you being 'suave' then you have some work to do."

Adrian opened his mouth to respond but whatever he was going to say got cut off as a strange noise sounded.

"_Digimon, digital monsters, Digimon are the Champions! Change into digital monsters to save the digital world. Digimon, digital monsters, Digimon are the Champions!_"

I stared up at Adrian and he met my gaze with a blank expression. The noise continued and I shook my head, "Please tell me that is not your ringtone."

"It's not," Adrian's brows furrowed and he glanced over his shoulder towards the door just as the song was cut off. "But I think Landen's is."

I looked towards the door and heat instantly rose up to my face as I realized the noise had come from right outside the room. Turning my gaze to the ceiling, I squeezed my eyes shut and called out loudly, "Why are you sitting outside the door?"

There was no response for several moments and I listened closer. I could hear him breathing as if we were inches from each other. No, not just his either. I frowned as I scented the air and I groaned as I recognized the second smell. "Why are the two of you listening at the door?"

Spiridon and Landen both started as they realized they were found out and a moment later the door creaked open to show them smiling apologetically.

"When Alberta saw Adrian go into the room she ordered me to listen in and make sure you didn't try to attack him," Landen rushed to explain. "I tried not to listen to what was being said."

"Of course not," I rolled my eyes and shifted my gaze to Spiridon. "What about you?"

"No, I definitely listened," The blond smiled shamelessly. He turned to his charge and his head in disappointment. "And here I always thought you were good with girls."

"I am," Adrian responded and shot his Guardian a glare. "Women are a slightly different story."

Landen and Spiridon both laughed at him and even I could not help but grin at the surly response. "At least your ringtone isn't the theme song from Digimon," I told him and turned to see that Landen had the grace to blush.

"There is nothing wrong with Digimon," He defended. "It's a cool show."

"Oh, of course not," I snickered. "It's better than Pokémon at least."

"Hey, I like Pokémon," Spiridon grinned. "_I want to be the very best, like no one ever was. To catch them is my true test; to train them is my cause_."

"No," I groaned and looked up at Adrian pleadingly as Landen joined in singing. "Make them stop."

Adrian laughed down at me, the man actually had the nerve to laugh at me. And then he joined the two Guardians in the song. "_It's you and me; I know it's my destiny! Pokémon! Oh, you're my best friend in this world we must defend! Poke-_"

I snarled and jerked my arms free of his grasp and pushed against his shoulders, shoving him off me. I sat up and glared at the Guardians, instantly shutting them up.

"There is one thing that I hate more than Strigoi," I growled. "I'll give you one guess as to what."

Spiridon and Landen exchanged glances and Landen burst out laughing. "How can you hate Pokémon?"

"Because I do," I snapped. "The kids at the orphanage were big into Pokémon and they had most of the tapes which they insisted on watching twenty-four-seven."

The two Guardians exchanged glances before they both burst out laughing and I turned to glare at Adrian. "Make them leave before I kill both of them."

"What are you going to use?" Adrian laughed.

"My stake is in the nightstand right there," I told him. "I bet I can get one of them with it and have my teeth in the second before they even realize that I've moved."

"Alright, alright," Adrian laughed but he turned his gaze to the two Guardians who were still laughing. "Go ahead and leave, I'm safe for now."

"You sure?" Spiridon laughed. "I think she has the advantage right now."

"Why do you think I want you to leave?" Adrian winked.

I rolled my eyes and rolled off him to lie on the bed. "Why don't you go ahead and join them?" I suggested.

"Because you and I still have a talk to finish," He said and waved at Spiridon as he shut the door. Once the door was shut, he turned back to me with a serious look on his face. "Come on, you know you like me. If you didn't like me even a little you would have shoved me out of here before I got a chance to sit on the bed, let alone lay on it."

I sighed heavily and turned my head to look at him. "Let's say that I do like you, which I don't," I rushed to reaffirm when he started to smile again. "But let's say for now that I do, there are still a number of things to take into consideration. The fact that I'm a Strigoi is the most notable. I already talked to Lissa and she explained how the whole healing happens. A stake would have to be driven through my chest along with a burst of healing power, but with me still having parts of my soul there is no telling what would happen to me. It might heal me yes, but it could very well kill me since my soul isn't whole to begin with. So what if I can't be healed?"

"I doubt we'd be allowed to stay at Court," Adrian answered and shifted so his head was laying on one of the pillows. "That's no real loss in my mind though- it means fewer visits from my mother. I'm not much of a day person now so that's no big loss either."

"Be serious for a moment," I snapped and pushed up to my elbow so I could glare down at him. "You are the one who wanted to have this talk but now you are joking."

"No, I'm not. I am being serious here. Hell, I quit smoking because you said the smell was almost suffocating to you and I took the hint to stop drinking when you emptied all of the liquor cabinets. The only thing I've ever liked about Court to begin with was the alcohol and abundance of women."

To say I was a bit shocked would have been an understatement. "Adrian, you didn't have to quit smoking and I didn't mean for you to stop drinking all together. I just didn't want you drinking while these attacks were happening."

"It bothered you," He shrugged carelessly. "It's not like you wanted me to quit just because you didn't like it, though I'm sure it factored in."

"Maybe a little," I offered a reluctant smile and Adrian chuckled.

"Let's be honest, the biggest problem here may be that you're a Strigoi but I could care less. I'm reckless like that which drives Rose and Lissa insane on a daily basis and my mother goes into cardiac arrest on a regular basis." His smile faded away but he continued to look at me as he cupped my face with one of his hands. "Zuri, I could honestly care less. I like you and that's all there is. If we can heal you then you would have worried for nothing. And if we can't, then we'll deal with it then."

My cheeks burned under the directness of his gaze and I scoffed. "I never said I like you, I said let's say I do for the sake of this discussion."

"You like me," Adrian smiled and moved his hand to curl it around the back of my neck. "You should save yourself some time and just admit it already."

I wrinkled my nose at him and stuck my tongue out, "I will not admit something that is not true."

Adrian laughed and shook his head. He tightened his hold on my neck and pulled my head down until our faces were centimeters apart, "Good, then you'll have no problems admitting that you like me."

He leaned forward the last little bit and our lips connected. I smiled at his self-assuredness and inwardly shook my head. He had no qualms about a thing and it was nothing short of amazing in my mind.

I chuckled as he pressed his lips harder against mine, urging me to respond. I needed no further prompting as I leaned closer, easing back down onto the bed so we were both lying on our sides facing each other. Adrian wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer to his body. Pleasure surged through me as our bodies touched, chest to chest, hip to hip, and thigh to thigh. I moaned softly as he inserted a leg between mine and a shiver traveled up my spine as his tongue darted out to tease the seam of my lips.

I acquiesced to his silent plea and parted my lips, giving his tongue access to my mouth. He groaned appreciatively and his tongue dipped into my mouth, rubbing against mine and tangling together as we battled for dominance. He started to ease back after a second and I growled low in my throat before I tangled a hand in his hair and pulled his mouth back to mine, earning a low moan of approval as he once more took my lips in a deep open-mouthed kiss. He kept one arm around my waist but the other traveled down, tracing a path across my back and over my hips until it came to rest on my thigh. He wrapped his hand around my thigh and pulled it up to rest on his hip while the leg between my thighs moved up to press against my core.

My heart skipped a beat at the touch and my breath shuttered but I responded instantly as I wrapped my leg around his waist and arched closer to his body. Adrian moaned and I felt as he shifted, gently starting to ease me onto my back.

"Hey, we're still out here!" Landen called out.

Adrian and I both froze at his voice and I stared up at him with wide eyes. Hearing his voice was like having a bucket of ice cold water thrown over us. Not just at the fact that they could hear anything that might happen, but at the fact that they had heard everything that was just said. I flopped the rest of the way onto my back, closing my eyes as embarrassment filled me.

"Why the hell are you still there?" I groaned.

"You're still a Strigoi and Adrian is a Moroi," Landen replied apologetically.

"Yes, as Zuri has pointed out herself several times," Adrian replied dryly. "If I were in any serious trouble I would call for help so there's no need to sit right outside the door."

"Sorry, but Alberta would skin me alive if I left."

I rubbed a hand over my eyes and resisted the urge to bury my head under the pillows. Adrian let out a frustrated sigh and rolled off of to rest beside me. "I'll make sure to thank Alberta for that later," He muttered.

"You should go ahead and leave," I suggested quietly.

"Not a chance," Adrian snorted. "The Guardians have set up shop in the sitting room so I have nowhere to sleep."

"So what, you plan to stay in here with me?" I turned to him with a frown.

"Why not?" He smiled at me. "You can watch over me while I sleep."

"What, you're the sleeping human and I'm the insomniac vampire?" I asked dryly.

"Sure, you can be Edward to my Bella."

"You do realize that makes you the woman in the relationship?" I snickered. "Does that mean you like to take it? If so, I think you'd be better off with Spike."

Spiridon laughed loudly at the comment and I could hear Landen laughing with him. "Would that make me Jacob?"

Adrian looked at me with a complete look of horror but it quickly faded away as he leaned forward to place a kiss against my lips. "Either way, I guess it is a very good thing that Bella ended up with Edward and that she and Jacob did nothing more than a kiss or two."

"Hey, they did some snuggling too in the books," I reminded him.

"Well, I am unwilling on both accounts," Adrian laughed.

"Fine with me," Spiridon said. "I'd rather guard your ass then drill it."

I burst out laughing at the crude term and turned to see Adrian had a hand over his eyes.

"Oh come on, that was a little funny," I smiled.

"I'm going to bed now," He said in response and pulled a pillow over his face.

I laughed again and pulled the pillow away, "Who said you could sleep here?"

"You never said I couldn't," He said. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me down across his chest. "Now you do your meditation thing and regain your strength and I'll go to sleep to regain mine."

I snorted at the order but did not bother disputing him as I shifted to rest my head on his shoulder and wrapped an arm around his waist.

"Whatever, just go to sleep already." I told him. He smiled but in moments he was out cold and I shook my head before I leaned up to place a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Akri."

Outside, I heard Spiridon and Landen both snickering and inwardly rolled my eyes. "Grow up you two," I admonished them. "Wake us up an hour before sunset."

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**A/N:** Well, there it was. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon. It's time for the third attack and things get heated fast, especially when Matthew decides tomake his debut appearance.

Zuri: Stupid fucktard.

Kaisha: Be nice Zuri, you'll get him and Chels later just have patience.

Nin: Yea, it wouldn't be fun if you got to kill them right off the bat.

Zuri: But I wanna kill them now...

Kaisha: How about this.. *whispers in Zuri's ear*

Zuri: *nods* That _might_ be acceptable

Nin: *smiles evilly* Just remember, there's always a price

Kaisha: Anyway, that's it for 9 and 10 will be as soon as I finsih it :D


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